As the West Asia conflict continues to escalate, the government on Thursday classified energy supplies as a national security matter and mandated all entities involved in the petroleum and natural gas value chain to disclose entire operational data on stocks to enable real-time monitoring.The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas notified The Petroleum and Natural Gas (Furnishing of Information) Order, 2026, which introduces a new centralised institutional mechanism to monitor crude and natural gas stocks.“Recognising the need for real-time and structured data to ensure efficient supply chain management, the government has designated the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) as the nodal agency for monitoring. The PPAC will be responsible for the collection, compilation, maintenance and analysis of sector-wide data, enabling more informed policy decisions and timely interventions,” officials said today about the order that seeks to strengthen the energy sector.Issued under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, which empowers the Centre to regulate essential commodity supplies, the new instruction casts the net wide. It covers all entities engaged in production, processing, refining, storage, transportation, import, export, marketing, distribution and even consumption of petroleum products and natural gas requiring stock disclosures.Both public and private sector participants across the supply chain have been brought within the ambit, ensuring comprehensive sectoral coverage.Entities will be required to furnish granular information relating to production volumes, imports and exports, stock positions, storage capacities, allocation patterns, transportation logistics, supply flows and consumption trends. The data may be required in aggregated or disaggregated formats based on geography, time periods or consumer categories, as specified by the government or the PPAC.Crude oil producers and importers, oil refineries, oil marketing companies, LNG importers and terminal operators, natural gas pipeline operators, city gas distribution entities and petrochemical plants are all covered. The order also overrides all contractual or confidentiality obligations. Entities cannot refuse to furnish required information on grounds of commercial sensitivity or proprietary concerns, marking a decisive step towards transparency and regulatory control. Sources said ensuring energy security and market stability were objectives of the order.They indicated that the move is aimed at creating a robust, centralised data ecosystem to enable better tracking of supply-demand dynamics, prevent disruptions and ensure the availability of petroleum products and natural gas across the country. “The order is expected to significantly enhance policy responsiveness and strengthen India’s energy security framework,” said officials.Separately, the government today said oil marketing companies would provide an extra 10 per cent commercial LPG (20 per cent is already being given) to state governments that cooperate in expanding PNG supplies. Further, the government yesterday wrote to states asking for punishment to hoarders and black marketers.Petroleum Ministry Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma said states had been advised to hold daily press briefings for people. “Panic booking trends have declined, but queues outside domestic LPG distributorships have not. We urge people to book online, wait for cylinder delivery at home and not queue up outside. People should shift to alternative cooking fuels where possible,” she said, adding that 5,600 LPG consumers had shifted to PNG.Responding to a query whether the attack on the Qatar energy facility would harm India-bound supplies, an official said energy supplies were being diversified, with some LPG coming from the US.Meanwhile, the notification allows the Centre and the PPAC to determine the format, electronic platform and periodicity of reporting. Entities may be required to submit data on a daily, weekly, monthly, or other specified basis, facilitating near real-time monitoring of the sector.