New Delhi: Amid the ongoing situation in West Asia triggered by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the Union government has reintroduced kerosene under the public distribution system (PDS) as a 60-day ad hoc measure, relaxing storage and licensing in the 21 “kerosene-free” states and Union territories, even as the government has repeatedly denied any shortage of petrol, diesel and cooking gas in the country.A gazette notification was issued on March 29, in which the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas permitted public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) to allocate PDS kerosene. The notification specifically covered states including Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh where the use of PDS kerosene was phased out.It also included the Union territories of Delhi, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.“In view of the prevailing geo-political situation affecting energy supplies worldwide, the Central Government has decided to make an ad hoc allocation of Public Distribution System (PDS) Superior Kerosene Oil (SKO) to the States/Union Territories (UTs) including 21 States/UTs which are PDS SKO free as detailed at Annexure, for distribution to households for cooking and lighting purposes,” the notification read.Noting that the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation had temporarily permitted public sector OMCs to store 2,500 litres of superior kerosene oil in sheds, the ministry on Sunday allowed these firms to store up to 5,000 litres of the fuel as long as it is not in bulk in a maximum of up to two service stations.The quantity of PDS kerosene stored at any such service station shall not exceed 5,000 litres, it said.According to the government, the move is to ensure uninterrupted access to cooking and lighting fuel for households.However, on Monday (March 30), Sujata Sharma, joint secretary (marketing and oil refinery) at Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, said that there was “adequate availability” of petrol, diesel, liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG) across the country.“There is an adequate availability of petrol, diesel, LPG and PNG across the country; to ensure this, the Government of India has taken, and continues to take, measures at multiple levels. Our refineries are operating normally, and crude oil inventories are adequate. While operations at most retail outlets remain normal, instances of panic buying have been observed at a few locations. The Government of India has reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 to ensure their sufficient availability in the domestic market and to prevent any price hikes,” Sharma said at the daily media briefing.The gazette notification, she added, was “specifically intended for those states that previously declared themselves ‘kerosene-free’”. The notification simply outlines the mechanism for supplying kerosene in such regions “should a need for it arise”, she noted.Meanwhile, the ministry also stated that the government can temporarily exempt certain petroleum products from usual safety and licensing rules under the Petroleum Act of 1934 (relating to the import, transport, storage, production, refining and blending of petroleum) and 2002 Rules regulating this.“Rule 201 of the Petroleum Rules, 2002 empowers the Central Government to exempt any class or classes of petroleum from all or any of the provisions of these rules, by order, on the recommendation of the Chief Controller, in exceptional cases, on such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the order,” the notification read.It also exempted agents or dealers of PDS superior kerosene oil as well as tank vehicles from certain licensing requirements to transport the fuel from service stations.It has been a month since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran started the hostilities in West Asia, leading to Iran’s retaliatory closure of the Strait of Hormuz and fuel disruptions across countries including India.While the Indian government has pivoted LPG supply to household connections, small businesses in the restaurant sector across states have been left reeling by non-availability of fuel.Last week, the Union government held an all-party meeting to discuss the impact of the hostilities on India. While parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the government had answered all questions and that the opposition had given its support, members of the opposition said that the meeting was not ‘satisfactory’.The government has also repeatedly claimed that India’s energy outlook is secure, with domestic production accounting for 60% of the country’s LPG demand and India now purchasing fuel from 41 countries instead of 27 countries a decade ago.However, queues for fuel and gas cylinders – along with key shortages – have been reported across the country.