‘No Indian ship crossed Hormuz Strait in last 24 hours’:Centre says meeting India’s oil demand imperative on reports of Iranian oil purchase in Chinese currency

The Central Government on Friday, 17 April, 2026 admitted that the West Asia crisis has impacted supply of petrol, diesel, LPG, etc in India but there has been no shortage of these products in the domestic market. The government said meeting India’s oil demand was the most important thing on reports of purchase of Iranian oil in Chinese currency yuan during an inter-ministerial press briefing. Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, India’s Ministry of Petroleum Natural Gas said the gas agencies have delivered LPG cylinders to more than 50 lakh households on Thursday and that 98% of bookings were made online. She further added that there has been no reports of dry out at a single agency in India. She added that meeting India’s demand for crude oil is most important thing for the government. No Indian ships crossed Hormuz Strait in 24 hours One government spokesperson said that crossing the strait is one thing, while, whether the ships have reached the port or not is another. In the last 24 hours, not even a single India-flagged vessel has crossed the Hormuz Strait. Global oil rates have substantially gone up She went on to say that there is a lot of volatility in the prices of oil in the international market. There has been a huge increase in prices at global level. OMCs are making all effort to line up the cargoes to meet demand. Over 16 lakh 5 kg cyliners sold The Centre has ramped up the manufacture of 5 kg cylinders. The government has sold 16.30 lakh numbers of 5 kg cylinders. 4.68 lakh new PNG connections: Sharma added that the government has taken a lot of steps to expand Piped Natural Gas (PNG) network. Since March 2026 till now, 4.68 lakh new households have got new PNG connections. The City Gas Distributors (CGDs) have registered 5.23 lakh new PNG connections. How many citizens gave up LPG connections? The government’s spokesperson said that 37,000 LPG connections have been given up since March 2026. Hajj pilgrimage First batch of Hajj pilgrims would depart on 18 April 2026 from India. The government accords highest priority to the welfare of citizens who would be going to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Auto LPG sales on the rise Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, India’s Ministry of Petroleum Natural Gas said that auto LPG sales have increased in April 2026 as compared to that in February. Substantial hike in sales has been reported in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, etc. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said all Indian flagged vessels on sea routes are safe. No accidents have been reported Ports operations are normal across the country. More than 2,000 Indian seafarers repatriated in 24 hours India continues to monitor the situation in the Gulf region. The government has given high priority to safety of India sailors on the sea routes. In the past 24 hours, India repatriated more than 2,000 Indian seafarers from the Gulf countries. Over 10 lakh passengers fly back to India from Gulf countries Flights continue to operate. The Centre said that 100 flights are expected to land from UAE to India on Friday. Qatar and Israel airspaces are partially opened. While, Bahrain and Iraq airspaces are also open. The government has been able to fly 10.38 lakh passengers from Gulf countries to India. 2,358 Indians have been brought from Iran to India through several routes. ​