Centre opens kerosene taps to tide over LPG crisis
Times of India | 14 March 2026
Kolkata: A fuel shift that took more than a decade to achieve is now partially reversing in Bengal. Faced with an acute shortage of LPG refills amid global supply disruptions, many households across the state are returning to kerosene for cooking, forcing oil marketing companies (OMCs) to sharply increase the fuel's allocation to Bengal. CM Mamata Banerjee earlier urged higher kerosene allotment following the LPG crisis.
To meet the sudden surge in demand, OMCs raised the state's kerosene allotment more than ten-fold for the current quarter. The move marks a significant departure from the policy of gradually phasing out kerosene in favour of cleaner LPG over the past decade. Going by figures, the kerosene supply per day would go up from 4.5 kilolitres per day last month to over 241 kilolitres per day in the remainder of this month.
An official of a leading oil marketing company said the revised allocation was already communicated to the state govt.
"The quarterly allocation for West Bengal was earlier 410 kilolitres (KL). On Friday, OMCs increased it to 4,100 KL for the quarter. Since the current quarter effectively ends on March 31, the state will receive this allotment for just about 17 days, which means the effective rise is actually much higher than 10 times," the official said.
The kerosene is distributed mainly through the PDS via ration shops.
Officials said the sudden spike in demand is linked to the ongoing fuel supply disruption triggered by the war in West Asia, which began affecting LPG availability. With refill delays and panic booking reported in several parts of the country, many households started falling back on kerosene for cooking.
The Centre recently allowed temporary use of kerosene for household cooking and coal for hotels and restaurants to help manage the LPG shortage.
The decision marks a sharp policy reversal. Since 2012, the Union govt steadily reduced kerosene production and state-wise allocation while encouraging households to switch to LPG. The push intensified after the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which aimed to replace traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, coal and kerosene with LPG in rural households.