{
  "id": 11415163,
  "title": "What are the objectives of the National PNG Drive 3.0? | Explained",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/what-are-the-objectives-of-the-national-png-drive-3-0-explained",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-02T10:04:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/what-are-the-objectives-of-the-national-png-drive-30-explained/article71536448.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National PNG Drive 3.0, launched on October 1, 2026, aims to enroll 50 lakh domestic piped natural gas (D-PNG) connections by the end of the fiscal year 2027. The broader goal is to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas, enable a transition from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to PNG, and ensure the effective use of existing PNG infrastructure. This aligns with India's net-zero commitments and sustainable development goals, aiming to provide cleaner, reliable, and sustainable energy sources.\n\nThe PNG Drives are structured interventions designed to bridge the gap between network creation and consumer adoption, two key pillars for expanding the piped gas ecosystem. The transition to piped natural gas gained momentum during the West Asia crisis, which led to government orders to expedite the transition to mitigate pressure on LPG supplies. The National PNG Drive 3.0 targets 50 lakh new domestic-PNG connections, 40 lakh existing connections to become active users, and another 50 lakh users.\n\nAs of June 30, 2026, India had 1.74 crore PNG consumers, with 1.15 crore being billed consumers. The drive aims to accelerate adoption in newly connected, semi-urban, and rural areas, as well as convert connected-but-unbilled consumers into active users. The closure report for PNG Drive 2.0 highlighted a significant gap between connected domestic PNG users and those who have actually paid for the service. Therefore, the 3.0 drive emphasizes this issue among its imperatives.\n\nThe regulator estimates that the country has 6.9 lakh inch-kms of laid pipeline, which can accommodate an additional 1.3 crore connections. Robust business planning and supply chain readiness are crucial to support consumer awareness and adoption momentum. City-gas distributors will receive additional 200 standard cubic metres (SCM) of lower-priced Administered Price Mechanism natural gas for every incremental billed domestic-PNG connection they add beyond their area's threshold.\n\nThe drive also focuses on expanding infrastructure in residential complexes and government colonies, as well as addressing consumer awareness in emerging geographical areas. City-gas distributors have introduced schemes like security deposit waivers and conversion incentives to address affordability concerns. The closure report noted that consumer awareness varies across different geographical areas, with mature markets being more familiar with PNG benefits compared to emerging areas, where greater clarity is needed. To overcome this, the drive calls for \"making faster and standardised installation technologies\" to accelerate adoption.",
  "summary": "The PNGRB’s new drive aims to add 50 lakh new piped gas connections, convert 40 lakh unbilled connections into active users and register 50 lakh more users by the end of the fiscal year 2027",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}