For liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers living in rural areas, changes to the booking rules have been announced. Oil companies have reduced the interval between orders for replenishing LPG supplies in rural areas from 45 days to 25 days.
Previously, the 25-day interval was in effect even before the crisis in Khomza, but increasing this interval to 45 days created difficulties for some families, especially large ones. Now, the government's decision unifies the booking interval for consumers in both rural and urban areas—it will be 25 days.
Before these changes, the long period between two orders in rural areas often led to a shortage of cooking gas, which contributed to the development of illegal replenishment and speculation. The goal of this decision is to eliminate disparities in digital and civil services between rural and urban areas of India, ensuring timely fuel delivery to rural households without interruptions.
During holidays such as weddings and festivals, fuel consumption in rural families increases. Thanks to the new 25-day booking rule, consumers will not have to wait long for a cylinder in emergencies. If household gas consumption is high, a second 14.2-kilogram cylinder can be booked as early as the 25th day after the first delivery.
The new booking rules have come into force at Indian Oil (Indane), Bharat Petroleum (Bharatgas), and Hindustan Petroleum (HP Gas). These changes will bring significant relief to millions of rural families connected under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) program, allowing them to manage their refill schedule more easily. Reducing the interval to 25 days will not only simplify life for rural consumers but also make supply chain management more transparent and smooth for distributors.