PNGRB Secretary told how much crude oil does India have, will there be shortage?:

News India Live, Digital Desk: Held in New Delhi PHDCCI Hydrocarbon Summit 2026 Secretary of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) during Anjan Kumar Mishra Has shared important information regarding India’s energy security and oil reserves. He clarified that despite the global tension, there is no shortage of fuel in the country, but there are some limitations regarding the huge reserves of oil.

Why backup of only 20 to 40 days?

According to Secretary Anjan Kumar Mishra, India currently has so much stock of liquid fuel (crude oil) that 20 to 40 days demand Can complete. He clearly said that it is practically very difficult for any country to create and maintain backup stock of 6 months or more. However, this backup, combined with the Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) and commercial stocks, provides a safety net of about 74 days.

West Asia crisis and its impact on India

Referring to the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East (West Asia), the Secretary acknowledged that this situation is affecting India. He said, “I will not lie that it is not impacting India, but the government is keeping a close watch on the situation and plans are ready to deal with every eventuality.” He assured the public that there is no shortage of fossil fuel in the country and there is no need to panic.

Strategy to reduce import dependence

The government is taking several steps to ensure self-reliance on the fuel front and strengthen the supply chain:

Diversification of Sources: India is no longer dependent only on West Asia. Oil imports from countries like Russia and Venezuela have been increased. Apart from this, search for new options like Mozambique and Angola is going on.

domestic production: New exploration rounds have been initiated to increase domestic crude oil production, although this is a long process.

Help from neighboring countries: In this period of crisis, India not only took care of its own needs, but also helped neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in fuel supply.

Will oil prices increase?

On the possibility of rise in prices, he said that even if prices rise due to global conditions, this effect will Temporary will be. The government has adequate mechanisms in place to handle the situation and it is expected that prices will soon return to pre-crisis levels.