The Centre has introduced a new incentive scheme to accelerate the expansion of domestic Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections, offering City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities additional access to lower-priced domestic gas for every incremental household connection.

The Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Domestic PNG Connections was launched on August 18, 2026, and came into effect on September 1. The scheme is aimed at increasing the number of active and billed domestic PNG connections while encouraging CGD companies to expand their networks into new areas.

According to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), authorised entities are currently developing City Gas Distribution networks across 309 geographical areas covering the mainland of the country. As of August 18, India had 1.74 crore domestic PNG connections.

Under the new scheme, a minimum connection threshold has been fixed for each geographical area. CGD entities that add billed domestic connections beyond the prescribed threshold during the performance period will receive an additional allocation of 200 Standard Cubic Metres (SCM) of domestically produced Administered Price Mechanism (APM) gas for every incremental connection.

The government said the cheaper APM gas would partly replace costlier Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) currently sourced by CGD entities for their Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transport operations. The resulting reduction in gas procurement costs is expected to improve the economics of domestic PNG expansion.

The scheme is expected to reduce the payback period on capital invested in a domestic PNG connection from around 10 years to nearly three years, creating a stronger commercial incentive for companies to connect more households.

The scheme will be implemented in two tranches over six months.

PNG expansion is also being supported through regulatory and infrastructure measures. An Accelerated Approval Framework under the Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution Order, 2026, provides for faster approvals and uniform Right-of-Way charges for laying pipelines.

The Centre has also encouraged states to reduce VAT on natural gas to 5 per cent, with several states having already adopted the lower rate.

A nationwide National PNG Drive 2.0 was conducted from January 1 to June 30, 2026, to accelerate domestic connections, while a unified digital portal for applying for and tracking PNG connections is also being developed.

The government said PNG provides households with continuous metered supply without the need to store or replace LPG cylinders and produces fewer pollutants than conventional cooking fuels.

Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq, along with Aga Syed Hassan and Molvi Imran Raza Ansari, met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi and exchanged views on the grave situation confronting the region, the need for restraint and diplomacy, and the importance of safeguarding unity within the Muslim Ummah.

During the interaction, the delegation, as per a statement, conveyed solidarity with the people of Iran and expressed deep concern over the loss of innocent lives, destruction of homes and infrastructure, and the climate of fear and insecurity created by war.

They also referred to the continuing devastation in Palestine and the loss of life and instability in Lebanon, saying the widening cycle of conflict had created an extremely serious situation across the region.

Mirwaiz said that at such a critical moment, wisdom, restraint and statesmanship were needed more than ever.

“War only multiplies human suffering. However serious the differences may be, endless confrontation cannot resolve them. Ultimately, even the most difficult disputes have to return to dialogue, engagement and negotiation,” he said.

He stressed that the present conflicts must not be allowed to deepen sectarian divisions within the Muslim world. At a time when Muslims in many parts of the world are already facing Islamophobia, insecurity and uncertainty, he said political rivalries and sectarian differences should not be permitted to further weaken the Ummah.

“Our differences must never overcome the larger bonds of faith, brotherhood and shared humanity. The suffering of people in Iran, Palestine, Lebanon and elsewhere should bring us closer in compassion and responsibility, not push us further apart,” Mirwaiz said.

He recalled the historic association of Iran with Srinagar’s Jama Masjid, including the commemorative gathering held there following the passing of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini (RA) in 1989. He also recalled Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei’s historic visit to Kashmir in the early years following the Islamic Revolution, when he addressed the Friday congregation at Jama Masjid in the presence of Shaheed-e-Millat Mirwaiz Moulvi Mohammad Farooq (RA), stressing the message of the Qur’an, brotherhood and Shia-Sunni unity.

On the occasion, Mirwaiz presented Foreign Minister Araghchi with a specially crafted walnut-wood souvenir depicting the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, symbolising the enduring cultural and spiritual bonds between the people of Kashmir and Iran.

Referring to the wider regional and global situation, Mirwaiz said South Asia’s own experience had demonstrated the heavy human cost of prolonged tensions and unresolved disputes and had reinforced the need for sustained engagement and dialogue.

He said India, with its legacy of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of Ahimsa, could play a constructive role in encouraging restraint, diplomacy and peaceful engagement at a time of growing international tensions.

“The grave challenges facing our world cannot be settled through ever-widening wars. Confrontation will only aggravate them. Human dignity has no sect or nationality, and every innocent life is precious. We must remain on the right side of history — on the side of justice, humanity and peace,” Mirwaiz said.

The delegation expressed hope that the present crisis would not widen further and that diplomacy, dialogue and reconciliation would prevail over confrontation.

New Delhi, Sep 13: Prime Minister NarendraModi on Sunday sought to project BRICS as a platform through which the Global South can have a greater voice in shaping international solutions, saying the grouping’s credibility had grown because the experiences and concerns of developing countries were being heard and addressed collectively.

“From my personal experience, I can say that the Global South countries’ confidence in BRICS has grown, because within BRICS: Their voices are heard. Their experiences are respected. And solutions are developed not for them, but together with them,” PM Modi said.
His remarks came as India has increasingly sought to position itself as a voice for the developing world and use groupings such as BRICS to promote a more inclusive model of global growth.

The PM said the strength of BRICS lay in its diversity and cooperation, with member countries rooted in different realities but able to advance together.
“We may be rooted in different realities, but together, we rise through cooperation, and blossom for humanity,” he said.
PM Modi said India had initiated the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal to connect small enterprises with knowledge, finance and new markets.
The BRICS Urban Mobility Hub had also been established to facilitate the sharing of best practices among cities, he said.
The PM said BRICS’ wider objective was to ensure that the benefits of solutions developed within the grouping were not restricted to its members.
“Building on these four pillars, through BRICS we have sought to promote inclusive global growth,” he said.

“We believe that the benefits of solutions developed within BRICS should not remain confined to BRICS alone. They should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South,” PM Modi said.
He also linked India’s approach to development with its civilisational view of the environment, saying nature had traditionally been accorded the status of a mother.

“In Indian civilisation, nature has been accorded the status of a mother,” the PM said. “For centuries, we have believed that development and the environment are not alternatives to each other, but are complementary.”
He said BRICS had similarly emphasised the need to strike a balance between human development and the environment.
“This is the foundation of Sustainability. It is also our responsibility towards future generations,” PM Modi said.
He said the grouping had made progress on several fronts.

For Smart Grids and Energy Storage, BRICS had established the BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence, which, the PM said, would help make clean-energy systems more reliable, efficient and accessible.

The Centres of Excellence for Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture would connect traditional knowledge with modern science, he said.
PM Modi said principles developed for community-based climate adaptation would make indigenous knowledge an important foundation for climate action.

He said these initiatives were part of BRICS’ effort to promote inclusive growth and make cooperation within the grouping relevant to countries beyond its membership.
The PM again stressed that solutions emerging from BRICS should be adaptable to the needs of the wider Global South rather than remaining confined to the bloc.

He said the growing confidence of Global South countries in BRICS was rooted in a sense of participation rather than one-way policymaking.
“Their voices are heard. Their experiences are respected. And solutions are developed not for them, but together with them,” PM Modi said.
He said the diversity of the grouping should remain central to its identity and cooperation should drive its future.

“May our diversity remain our identity, our cooperation become our inspiration, and our progress serve the cause of all humanity,” the PM said.