No Nationwide Lockdown, Govt Clears Fuel Panic
- By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
- Mar 27, 2026
- 537
The Government of India on Friday unequivocally refuted reports of an impending nationwide lockdown, with senior leaders, including Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, dismissing such claims as entirely unfounded and misleading.
Further dispelling public apprehension, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Petroleum Ministry, affirmed that no lockdown has been imposed and that all refineries across the country are functioning at full operational capacity. She also highlighted a notable 40% surge in domestic LPG production.
In response to the escalating situation in West Asia, the Centre has constituted a high-level committee of Union Ministers under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to closely monitor developments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to convene a meeting with Chief Ministers later in the day to deliberate on the evolving geopolitical scenario.
Key highlights from the Petroleum Ministry:
- Price escalation and supply disruptions: The intensifying conflict in West Asia has triggered a rise in global crude oil and petroleum product prices, exerting pressure on supply chains.
- Robust reserves: India currently possesses sufficient crude oil reserves to sustain demand for approximately two months, with uninterrupted supplies of LPG, LNG, and PNG.
- Prioritised distribution: While commercial LPG supplies were initially curtailed, they have now been progressively restored to 70%, with restaurants and eateries receiving preferential allocation. Since March 14, around 30,000 tonnes of LPG have been supplied.
- Panic-driven demand: Isolated instances of long queues at fuel stations were attributed to misinformation-induced panic buying, with authorities reiterating that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or cooking gas nationwide.