New Delhi: The Central Government has officially rolled back the temporary regulatory restrictions imposed on the retail sale and distribution of petrol and diesel across the country. The fresh directive, issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, effectively removes all emergency caps, including the strict purchase limit of 200 litres of high-speed diesel per vehicle each day. Normal fuel distribution and purchasing arrangements at all public sector oil marketing company outlets are set to fully restore on July 1.
The emergency curbs were originally put into place on June 12, 2026, following severe global energy supply chain disruptions triggered by the de-escalating West Asia crisis. To protect the domestic public from volatile international crude oil spikes, the government chose to shield citizens by keeping retail fuel pump rates strictly unchanged. However, this policy created an artificial price gap between retail pumps and bulk market rates, which quickly drove large-scale commercial, institutional, and industrial entities to buy directly from retail outlets. This unusual shift caused massive regional fuel diversions, artificial hoarding, and illegal black marketing, disrupting equitable fuel distribution.
To mitigate these market distortions, the petroleum ministry restricted large-scale retail buying by enforcing the daily 200-litre cap on diesel per vehicle and legally mandating commercial buyers to source their requirements solely through designated bulk consumer pumps. Following a comprehensive review of domestic inventory levels and international shipping routes, the government determined that market operations have since normalised, rendering the emergency measures unnecessary. Ministry officials highlighted that the timely intervention successfully preserved fuel availability for regular retail motorists during the peak of the global supply crunch.
