Amid panic booking of LPG cylinders across the country, the Centre on Thursday said India “has enough gas supplies even if the West Asian conflict prolongs”.Briefing the Lok Sabha for the first time as the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s key energy supply route, remained closed for the 13th day, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Puri said panic bookings were due to consumer anxiety, not supply shortages.‘LPG cheaper in India’Puri says of the Rs 134 per cylinder adjustment required by prevailing global prices, the government has absorbed Rs 74. LPG prices in India are relatively cheaper, which in the neighbourhood stand at Rs 1,046 in Pakistan, Rs 1,242 in Sri Lanka and Rs 1,208 in Nepal, Puri adds.He warned against “rumours and fake narratives”, saying everyone must stand behind the energy warriors as India navigated the “most severe global energy disruption in recorded history”.The minister said crude supplies were secure, gas had been prioritised for homes and farms, LPG production had been stepped up by 28 per cent in the last five days, consumer prices had been kept far below what markets and regional comparators would dictate, schools remained open and petrol was available at the forecourts.“The world has not faced a moment like this in modern energy history,” he said, adding that India had substantially offset the LPG shortfall by diversifying procurement. “Large LNG cargoes are arriving daily through alternative supply routes and India has sufficient gas production and supply arrangements to sustain this position even in the event of a prolonged conflict,” Puri said.In an announcement aimed at easing concerns of commercial LPG users, Puri said starting today, 20 per cent of the average monthly commercial LPG requirement would be allocated by oil marketing companies in coordination with state governments to prevent hoarding or black marketing.India, which previously imported about 60 per cent of its LPG from the Gulf with 40 per cent produced locally, had now diversified its sourcing. Cargoes were being secured from the US, Norway, Canada, Algeria and Russia, in addition to available Gulf sources.“In the last five days, LPG production has been increased by 28 per cent through refinery directives. Further procurement is underway,” he said, assuring that domestic supply was fully protected and the delivery cycle unchanged. The standard time from booking to delivery for domestic LPG cylinders remained 2.5 days, unchanged from pre-crisis norms, Puri said.He added that hospitals and educational institutions had been placed on uninterrupted priority supply and their access to LPG assured regardless of broader demand conditions.“Field reports indicate hoarding and panic booking at the distributor and retail level, driven by consumer anxiety rather than any actual supply shortage. The House should be clear on this: the rush booking pressure in some localities reflects demand distortion, not a production or supply failure,” he said.The government also said it would expand delivery authentication code (DAC) coverage from 50 per cent to 90 per cent of consumers so that a cylinder could only be logged as delivered when the consumer confirmed receipt through a one-time code on their registered mobile. “This will make undocumented diversion impossible to conceal,” Puri said.