New Delhi: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas capped 2025 with a broad-based reform and infrastructure drive aimed at improving energy access, boosting domestic production and accelerating the transition to cleaner fuels, even as oil and gas remain critical to India’s fast-growing economy.
Clean cooking remained a central plank, with beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana rising to about 10.35 crore as of December 1, 2025. To achieve near-saturation, the government approved 25 lakh additional LPG connections for FY26, while simplifying eligibility through a single deprivation declaration. A targeted subsidy of ₹300 per cylinder for up to nine refills annually helped lift average LPG consumption to a pro-rated 4.85 refills per household in FY26, signalling deeper adoption.
Consumer safety and transparency were also stepped up. A nationwide Basic Safety Check campaign led to over 12.12 crore free inspections and replacement of 4.65 crore LPG hoses at subsidised rates. Aadhaar-based biometric authentication covered 71% of Ujjwala consumers and 62% of others, supported by a mobile-based enrolment drive.
On the infrastructure front, fuel retailing saw rapid digitisation, with more than 90,000 outlets enabled for digital payments and over 3,200 fuel bowsers deployed to improve access in remote areas. Electric mobility gained traction as nearly 9,000 EV charging stations were installed under FAME-II, while oil marketing companies added another 18,500 from their own funds.
Gas infrastructure continued to expand, with the operational pipeline network stretching to 25,429 km by June 2025, up from 15,340 km in 2014. A further 10,459 km is under execution, moving India closer to a unified national gas grid. The ‘One Nation, One Grid, One Tariff’ regime now covers about 90% of pipelines, helping narrow regional cost disparities. City gas distribution reached 307 geographical areas, with PNG connections at 1.57 crore and CNG stations crossing 8,400.
Biofuels emerged as a key pillar of the clean energy push. Ethanol blending in petrol averaged 19.24% in 2024-25, delivering foreign exchange savings of over ₹1.55 lakh crore. The government also set a roadmap for sustainable aviation fuel blending from 2027, while commissioning second-generation ethanol plants and scaling up compressed biogas under the SATAT programme.
Upstream reforms marked a structural shift. The Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Act, 2025 and new petroleum rules aimed to modernise the exploration regime. Under the Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy, 172 blocks covering 3.78 lakh sq km were awarded, drawing committed investments of about $4.36 billion. Strategic petroleum reserves and overseas investments by state-run firms were also strengthened to bolster energy security.
Taken together, the ministry’s year-end review underscores a policy mix focused on affordability, cleaner fuels and infrastructure build-out, as India seeks to balance energy security with its long-term sustainability goals.