PNG push: Govt to offer distributors cheaper domestic gas for every new connection

Looking to push for faster adoption of piped natural gas (PNG), the government has introduced an additional incentive for city gas distributors to expand household piped-gas networks. The scheme offers 200 standard cubic metres (SCM) of cheaper domestic natural gas for every new billed domestic PNG connection.The move is intended to encourage companies to speed up the shift from LPG cylinders to piped natural gas (PNG) for cooking. India has around 17.4 million domestic PNG connections at present.New PNG incentive schemeApproved by the government and effective from September 1, the benefit will apply to new domestic PNG connections added above a specified threshold for each geographical area, according to a PTI report.According to an official statement from the oil ministry, the scheme is designed both to activate existing connections that remain unused or unbilled and to extend PNG networks to areas that are not currently covered.The extra allocation of lower-priced…