Expanding Piped Natural Gas Outreach - National PNG Drive 3.0

Gist The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board PNGRB has launched the National PNG Drive 3.0 to rapidly scale up domestic piped natural gas D-PNG adoption across India by the financial year 2027 . The initiative seeks to bridge the critical gap between laying pipeline infrastructure and actually generating billed consumers, while accelerating the transition away from imported LPG. For civil services aspirants, this highlights India's strategy to enhance energy security, mitigate supply chain risks arising from West Asian geopolitical tensions, and align the domestic energy basket with its net-zero emission commitments. Background The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board PNGRB oversees the refining, processing, storage, and distribution of petroleum and natural gas to protect consumer interests and foster competitive markets. The government has systematically promoted Piped Natural Gas PNG through structured "drives" as a cleaner, continuous-supply alternative to Liquefied Petroleum Gas LPG cylinders. Before Drive 3.0, the ecosystem faced a substantial "usage gap" identified in the Drive 2.0 closure report . While the physical pipeline network was successfully created and households were connected, a large segment remained unbilled and…