Indian households continue to pay among the lowest prices for cooking gas globally despite a sharp rise in international LPG prices triggered by disruptions in West Asia, the government said on Sunday, a day after increasing domestic LPG prices by Rs 29 per cylinder.
The Opposition criticised the hike as burdensome for ordinary families and questioned the government’s pricing decisions amid broader concerns about rising household costs.
The Congress revived its 'Inflation Man Modi' attack and alleged that the government was burdening ordinary citizens while benefiting the wealthy.In a post on X, the party wrote, "'Inflation Man Modi' has cracked the whip again. Now the domestic gas cylinder has been made 29 rupees more expensive. Modi's formula is clear—extort from the public, fill the coffers of rich friends."
Congress alleged the government’s pricing decisions amount to extortion of the public while benefiting well‑connected interests, and demanded accountability for recurring hikes that squeeze household budgets.
Congress MP Manish Tewari questioning the timing and frequency of price hikes even as state‑run OMCs reported large profits. “WHY THE REPEATED LPG PRICE HIKE’S WHEN OIL MARKETING COMPANIES ARE MAKING WHOPPING PROFITS?” Tewari wrote on X, noting that the three OMCs registered a cumulative profit of Rs 77,280.65 crore in FY 2025–26 — a 130% increase over FY 2024–25.
Tewari highlighted that the three companies reportedly made Rs 19,470 crore in profit during the fourth quarter of FY 2025–26, a rise of about 40% compared with the same period a year earlier. “While the OMC’s are making hay, people are being crushed under a repressive pricing regime. Is this governance?” he asked, criticising repeated incremental increases- including the recent Rs 29 hike and an earlier Rs 60 rise on March 7, 2026.
The Aam Aadmi Party also attacked the government, saying the latest hike would further strain household finances.
https://x.com/INCIndia/status/2063334376243617794In a post on X, AAP said: "LPG cylinder prices have risen again. For the second time within three months, the domestic gas cylinder has been made more expensive. This time, after an increase of Rs 29, the 14.2 kg cylinder has become Rs 942. Inflation has already broken the public's back, and now the Modi government is also kicking them in the stomach."
The Trinamool Congress echoed similar concerns, arguing that the burden of rising prices was being passed on to ordinary families.
In a post on X, the party said: "Rs 29 more for a domestic LPG cylinder. This is the BJP model: when global crises emerge, the poor keep worrying while the rich keep thriving. A government that boasts of being a 'Vishwaguru' cannot shield its own citizens from repeated price shocks. Instead of planning ahead and protecting households, Narendra Modi's government keeps passing the burden onto ordinary families. For the rich, it's a minor inconvenience. For millions of families, it's another blow to already stretched household budgets."
The opposition argued that such profit figures call into question the need for recurring increases at the consumer level and asked the government to justify the balance between company margins, government support, and consumer burden. Critics also pointed to the Rs 300 per cylinder PMUY DBT as insufficient relief in the face of ongoing global volatility.
The price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi was raised to Rs 942 from Rs 913, while beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) will continue to pay an effective Rs 642 per cylinder after receiving a subsidy of Rs 300 per refill on the first four refills annually, down from 9 refills announced last year.
Retail prices differ marginally across locations on account of distribution costs.
The increase follows a Rs 60-per-cylinder hike on March 7, taking the cumulative hike to Rs 89 per 14.2-kg cylinder. State-run oil marketing companies were estimated to be losing about Rs 703 on every LPG cylinder sold before the latest revision.
In a statement, the government said the cost of supplying a domestic LPG cylinder has risen to more than Rs 1,600 following a surge in international prices that followed the outbreak of war in West Asia at the end February.
India's LPG import costs are linked to the Saudi Contract Price (CP), the global benchmark for the fuel. The benchmark has risen about 46 per cent since February after disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz tightened supplies from the Gulf region, according to the statement.
Despite the increase, domestic LPG prices remain below those prevailing in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and significantly lower than prices in advanced economies, including the United States, Australia, and Canada, the government said.
The government also said India was among the few countries able to maintain uninterrupted energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz during the crisis, ensuring there was no shortage of LPG or other petroleum products in the country. Domestic LPG production was increased and supplies diversified through alternative sourcing arrangements to safeguard availability, it added.
While the commercial cylinder used by hotels and businesses is revised automatically every month because its price is a direct pass-through of the international benchmark, the domestic cooking cylinder is not.
"India used to import 60 per cent of its LPG requirements, and the landed cost of that import tracks the Saudi Contract Price (CP) that Saudi Aramco sets at the start of each month. This is an external price over which the Indian consumer has no control," the government said in a statement.