New Delhi: The Delhi government has doubled the LPG supply for migrant workers, with 1,368 cylinders of 5 kg each now available daily, Food and Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Tuesday.
The quota for commercial LPG for migrant workers has been increased from 180 to 360 cylinders per day, with priority being given to the needy, the minister said. The move comes under a revised total daily cap of 6,480 cylinders (19-kg equivalent), under which essential services are being prioritised. Any surplus cylinders from one category will be transferred to other categories after meeting primary demand, Sirsa said. The government has directed oil marketing companies, or OMCs, to strictly adhere to the daily limit of 6,480 cylinders and inform the department about any inter-category transfers.
“Under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, our focus is to ensure there is no shortage anywhere. Keeping in mind the needs of migrant workers, the supply has been doubled,” Sirsa said.
The Food and Supplies Department has also issued operational clarifications to improve LPG distribution. OMCs have been allowed flexibility in allocation across categories without fixed percentage caps, but only after meeting valid demand in all segments, the minister said. According to the statement, to ensure transparency, 5-kg free trade LPG (FTL) cylinders for migrant workers are being distributed through authorised agencies, with Aadhaar verification made mandatory. “A centralised beneficiary database is being maintained by OMCs to prevent duplication and misuse, and a minimum gap of seven days has been fixed before the same individual can receive another cylinder,” an official statement read.
The priority sectors include education and health institutions (225 cylinders), government institutions/PSUs/subsidised community kitchens/industrial canteens (225 cylinders), hotels, restaurants, dhabas and food processing units (3,375 cylinders), caterers/banquets (225 cylinders), labour-intensive industries such as automobile, textile, dye, chemical, plastic, glass, power and pharma (1,800 cylinders), and sports facilities/stadiums (270 cylinders).
“We are fully committed to fair distribution. There is no place for rumours. Intensive inspections are underway across Delhi, and strict action will be taken immediately against those involved in hoarding or black marketing,” the minister said.
Sirsa termed reports of gas shortage “completely baseless” and advised people to book cylinders through authorised OMCs and consider PNG connections as a long-term solution.