Addressing the 119th annual general meeting of Merchant’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan said that in order to realise the vision to shift towards a gas-based economy, the government has envisaged spending of a massive $100 billion in creating oil and gas infrastructure. 

 

"India is developing gas infrastructure including pipelines, LNG terminals and CGD network. Coverage of City Gas projects is being expanded to over more than 400 districts with a potential to cover 70% of the country's population," added Pradhan.

 

Pradhan said that Indian gas grid is being expanded to new markets in eastern and north-eastern part of the country with government’s support of capital grants under the Indradhanush North Eastern Gas Grid projects. Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (PMUG) project is directed to provide piped cooking gas to millions of households in eastern states.

 

Pradhan said that India’s stable democracy and strong political leadership and large domestic market and young demographics are seen as key factors supportive of the sustained growth potential of the country in the medium to long run.

 

Pradhan said that Ujjwala Yojana has led to socio-economic changes and enhanced space for women’s empowerment in India, and has doubled the number of LPG connections in the country. LPG coverage has increased from 55 per cent to 98 percent. 

 

On SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation), Pradhan said that it is aimed at providing a Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation as a developmental effort that would benefit both vehicle-users as well as farmers and entrepreneurs.