NEW DELHI, October 3 — The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas formally launched "National PNG Drive 3.0" on Saturday to accelerate the adoption of clean and affordable piped natural gas for household cooking across urban and semi-urban India.
The third phase sets an ambitious target of commissioning 50 lakh new domestic Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections across more than 300 authorised Geographical Areas (GAs) during the current fiscal year. To expedite execution, the Central Government issued streamlined Right-of-Way (RoW) guidelines for city gas distribution (CGD) entities and encouraged state governments to integrate gas piping infrastructure into municipal building bye-laws for new residential developments.
Petroleum Ministry officials highlighted that domestic PNG provides a reliable, safe, and 20–25% more economical alternative to conventional subsidised LPG cylinders, directly advancing India's strategic target to raise the share of natural gas in the primary energy basket to 15% by 2030.
Clean energy transition schemes, hydrocarbons regulatory policies, and city gas networks are prominent topics in government schemes and economic geography syllabi. Candidates should know that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is the statutory body regulating city gas distribution networks in India under the PNGRB Act, 2006.