India may soon ease the norms for setting up petrol pumps across the country, as part of its strategy to secure energy requirements amid the rising demand. The ministry has sought feedback from stakeholders
and the public within 14 days. The government issued the norms on setting up petrol pumps in India in 2019.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has set up a four-member expert panel to review the 2019 guidelines for
authorising companies to market transportation fuels. The committee will examine how effective the current policy has been, recommend changes to match the push for alternative fuels and electric mobility, and iron out implementation challenges.The panel is led by Sukhmal Jain, former Director (Marketing) at BPCL, and includes:
P Manoj Kumar, Director General, Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC)
PS Ravi, representative from the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI)
Arun Kumar, Director (Marketing), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Before the 2019 reforms, companies needed to invest or commit at least Rs 2,000 crore in oil exploration, refining, pipelines, or LNG terminals to get a retail fuel licence.
The 2019 changes lowered the entry bar to:
Rs 250 crore net worth to sell petrol and diesel in the retail market, with a condition to set up at least one alternative fuel facility (CNG, LNG, biofuels, or EV charging) within three years.
Rs 500 crore net worth to cater to both retail and bulk consumers.
Retail licence holders also have to open at least 100 fuel outlets within five years, with 5% of them in rural areas.
India sharply increased its crude oil imports from the United States during President Donald Trump’s second term, signalling a major shift in the country’s energy sourcing strategy, official trade data reveals.
According to a CNBC-TV18 citing sources, India is poised to sharply increase its crude oil imports from the US, with volumes in FY26 projected to surge by more than 150 per cent year-on-year.
In the first half of 2025, US crude exports to India surged by more than 50 per cent, averaging 0.271 million barrels per day (mb/d) between January and June—up from 0.18 mb/d in the same period last year.
The April-June quarter saw a 114 per cent year-on-year jump in volumes, with the value of imports rising from $1.73 billion in Q1 FY24-25 to $3.7 billion in Q1 FY25–26.
In July 2025 alone, imports from the US rose by 23 per cent compared to June, pushing the American share of India’s crude basket from 3 per cent to 8 per cent. Sources said Indian refiners are expected to increase US oil imports by 150 per cent in FY25–26.
(With PTI Inputs)
