The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) is mulling to make permanent the OTP-based domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder delivery mechanism considering its utility in checking black marketing and hoarding.
The MoPNG introduced the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC)-based mechanism in the backdrop of the West Asia conflict-induced LPG supply shock.
The consumer will receive the DAC on their registered mobile number, and will be handed over the LPG cylinder only after they show the DAC received on their handset. The consumer’s mobile number is linked to the customer’s ID through the distributor.
On Tuesday, the MoPNG said that the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC)-based deliveries have increased to around 93 per cent to prevent diversion. In the last fortnight, DAC-based cylinder deliveries have averaged around 93 per cent.
PSU OMCs, on an average, have delivered around 52-55 lakh 14.2 kg LPG cylinders every day since March 2026.
As of March 2026, India has around 33.40 crore active domestic LPG consumers, of which more than 10.50 crore are PM Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) beneficiaries. India also has over 25,600 distributors of the commodity.
Expanding DAC base
Earlier this month, the MoPNG said that to prevent diversion at the distributor level, the DAC-based deliveries have been increased from 53 per cent (February 2026) to 90 per cent on April 4, 2026.
Meanwhile, the MoPNG said on Tuesday that LPG supply continues to be affected by the prevailing geopolitical situation. However, no dry-outs have been reported at LPG distributorships. Online LPG cylinder bookings increased to 99 per cent on industry basis on April 27.
Total commercial LPG allocation has been increased to about 70 per cent of pre-crisis levels, including 10 per cent reform-linked allocation.
Till April 27, a total of 1,75,205 tonnes of commercial LPG, equivalent to more than 92.21 lakh of 19 Kg LPG cylinders, have been sold.
Similarly, over 9,500 tonnes of auto LPG has been sold till April 27 as compared to around 5,000 tonnes during February 2026.
The average auto LPG sale by PSU OMCs till April 27 is around 353 tonnes per day (TPD) against the average of around 177 TPD during January 2026 and February 2026. This reflects an increase of around 100 per cent in auto LPG sales by PSU OMCs.
The PSU OMCs sold around 20.32 lakh 5-kg free trade LPG (FTL) cylinders till April 27, 2026, against 21.7 lakh 5 kg FTL cylinders sold during February 2026.
Published on April 28, 2026