Urban households can book a refill after 25 days, while rural households can do so after 45 days. According to the NSS 78th Round (2020–21), 49.4 per cent of rural households use LPG as their primary cooking fuel. Most importantly, NSS data also reveals that rural India is far from being a monolith in LPG usage. Nearly three-fourths of rural households, the IRES study reveals, depend on a single cylinder, leaving no buffer in a 45-day lockout. Further, if concerns about black marketing are more pronounced in urban areas, one might expect tighter restrictions there and not in rural areas.

Source: Indian Express April 02, 2026 06:52 UTC