The Government of India has accelerated the expansion of piped natural gas under a structured policy framework, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas outlined. The acceleration has led to zero point four four million (0.44 mn) PNG connections gasified since March 2026, and zero point four eight eight million (0.488 mn) additional consumers have registered for new connections, indicating substantial adoption driven by policy measures. The strategy was described as focusing on clean energy access and reduced reliance on conventional fuels.

The scale up is anchored in targeted regulatory and implementation measures set out under the Government's PNG acceleration strategy, including the notification of the Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution Order, 2026, which enables time bound development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) infrastructure and streamlines execution across authorised geographical areas. The order was presented as providing clarity on roles and timelines to expedite network rollout and connection delivery. Regulatory levers have been aligned with execution mechanisms to improve coordination between stakeholders.

To fast track household penetration, National PNG Drive two point zero has been extended until thirty June 2026 with emphasis on rapid connection releases, demand aggregation and coordinated execution between central agencies, CGD entities and State administrations. States and Union territories have been urged to facilitate faster approvals, local coordination and enabling infrastructure readiness to support last mile connectivity. The approach seeks to resolve bottlenecks on the ground and accelerate consumer access.

In parallel, States and Union territories have been advised to monitor supply of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas to ensure an integrated and balanced energy access framework during the transition. The measures are intended to expand clean fuel access, improve urban energy distribution and support India's long term transition towards a gas based economy. The policy push was characterised as structured and coordinated to deliver sustained scale up of PNG infrastructure.