(ET)
Half of India will have access to piped natural gas for cooking and driving after the conclusion of the 9th round of city gas licensing in which bids are being sought for 86 geographical areas covering 174 districts, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said.
With an aim to turn India into a gas-based economy, the government is seeking to raise the share of natural gas in the country’s primary energy mix from the current 6.5% to 15% by 2030. For this, it has put in place policies to encourage domestic gas production, and is helping ramp up gas import, transport and consumption infrastructure. The current city gas licensing round is the biggest ever in the country covering 20 states and two union territories.
