Over 5.5 Crore LPG Users Skipped Refills in 2025-26

• RTI data shows 5.56 crore LPG consumers took zero or one refill
• Over 3.30 crore households did not book any refill in 2025–26
• Families increasingly returning to traditional chulhas for cooking
• Supply crunch and rising costs trigger panic buying and black marketing

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 26th May: Amid the ongoing LPG supply crunch linked to the Middle East conflict and rising concerns over black marketing and panic buying, RTI replies from India’s three major oil marketing companies have revealed that more than 5.56 crore LPG consumers either did not refill their cylinders or took only one refill during 2025–26.

The data, obtained by Neemuch-based RTI activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur, showed that across Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, nearly 3.30 crore consumers did not book a single LPG refill through the financial year, while another 2.26 crore booked only one refill.

The figures point to growing affordability concerns among households despite widespread LPG penetration under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

Among PMUY beneficiaries, around 1.67 crore consumers reportedly took no refill, while 1.12 crore booked only one refill during the year.

The trend was also visible among non-Ujjwala consumers, with 1.63 crore taking zero refills and 1.13 crore using only one refill.

According to the RTI data, IOCL reported 2.03 crore zero-refill consumers and 1.01 crore one-refill consumers. BPCL recorded nearly 70.96 lakh consumers without refills and 53.99 lakh with one refill, while HPCL reported 55.93 lakh zero-refill consumers and 70.48 lakh one-refill consumers.

The findings come at a time when long queues outside LPG booking centres, supply concerns and soaring black-market rates have been reported in several areas following disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East.

In Bhopal’s Banganga locality, resident Salma B said her family of seven has increasingly returned to using traditional chulhas due to the high cost of LPG refills.

“We use the cylinder very carefully and only occasionally so that expenses come down,” she said.

Another resident, Shehzadi B from Shyamla Hills, said her family has not purchased an LPG cylinder for nearly three months because the refill cost of around ₹920 had become unaffordable.

RTI activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur said the figures highlight the impact of inflation on ordinary households despite subsidy support for Ujjwala beneficiaries.

“Overall, more than 5.5 crore households either took only one cylinder or did not take even one in an entire financial year. The government should intervene so that maximum households use LPG for cooking, which was the main objective behind the Ujjwala Yojana,” he said.

Analysts say the data raises questions about affordability and sustained adoption of clean cooking fuel among economically weaker sections.