India is not rationing fuel. Here is what 60 days of stock means
PM Narendra Modi holds a CCS meeting on Sunday over West Asia situations. (Image PIB)
“While other nations are rationing, there is no shortage of supplies in India.” PM Modi meets CMs as Ministry dismisses panic-buying misinformation
By NIRENDRA DEV
New Delhi, March 27, 2026 — India is an oasis of energy security in a world gripped by fuel anxiety. While countries across the globe scramble with price spikes, odd-even vehicle restrictions, forced station closures, and declared national energy emergencies, India stands apart — structurally insulated, fully stocked, and exporting refined fuel to over 150 countries.
The Petroleum Ministry has confirmed what the data already shows: there is no shortage of petrol or diesel anywhere in the country. All 1 lakh-plus retail fuel outlets are open and dispensing fuel without interruption. Not a single outlet has been asked to ration supply.
India’s energy position: the facts
India is the world’s fourth largest refiner and fifth largest exporter of petroleum products. Because India is a net exporter, domestic availability of petrol and diesel is structurally assured — not a matter of luck or crisis management, but of engineering and scale.
Every Indian refinery is currently running at over 100 per cent utilisation. Crude oil supplies for the next 60 days have already been secured by Indian oil companies. India sources crude from 41-plus suppliers worldwide, and despite the situation at the Strait of Hormuz, it is today receiving more crude oil than was previously arriving through the Straits. High volumes from the western hemisphere have more than compensated for any disruption.
The government has been unequivocal: there is no supply gap.
60 days of stock — not 6
Misinformation has been circulating on social media — including through viral videos and certain articles — claiming India has only six days of oil stocks remaining. This is false.
India currently holds around 60 days of total stock cover, including crude stocks, product stocks, and dedicated strategic storage in underground caverns. Total reserve capacity stands at 74 days. This means nearly two months of steady supply is available for every Indian citizen regardless of what happens in global markets. Procurement for the next two months has also been secured.
Any claim that India’s reserves are depleted or insufficient should be rejected outright.
Why queues appeared — and why they disappeared
Where isolated instances of panic buying occurred at select pumps, they were driven entirely by deliberate misinformation spread through social media videos. Despite the sudden surge in demand at affected outlets, fuel was dispensed to all consumers without interruption.
Oil company depots operated through the night to ramp up supplies. Oil companies have also increased credit limits to petrol pump owners — from one day to over three days — to ensure no pump faces a shortage due to working capital constraints.
PNG is opportunity, not emergency
The government is actively promoting Piped Natural Gas in coordination with state governments — because it is cheaper, cleaner, and safer for Indian households, not because LPG is running short.
LPG supply is fully secure. The push toward PNG reflects India’s long-term energy strategy, well underway before the current global situation arose. India already produces 92 MMSCMD of natural gas domestically out of a daily requirement of 191 MMSCMD, making it far less import-dependent on gas than on LPG. City gas distribution has expanded from 57 geographical areas in 2014 to over 300 today. Domestic PNG connections have grown from 25 lakh to over 1.5 crore.
PM Modi’s chief ministers’ meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is convening a video conference with all chief ministers on Friday, March 27. Chief ministers from four poll-bound states and a Union Territory will not attend, as the Model Code of Conduct is already in force ahead of upcoming elections.
Claims circulating online — including suggestions attributed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — that the Prime Minister may announce a lockdown are without foundation. As of now, no such measure is needed or under consideration.
Government warning on misinformation
The Ministry has noted with serious concern the spread of misleading videos and posts on social media that selectively use images of queues, global news footage of rationing in other countries, and fabricated claims of impending lockdowns and emergency fuel measures in India — all designed to create a false impression of shortage where none exists.
India does not need rationing. India does not need emergency measures. India is not in a fuel crisis.
The only crisis, the government has made clear, is one of manufactured misinformation.
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