Kerosene to be distributed mainly through ration shops

NEW DELHI: Kerosene oil, which has made a comeback for household use across several states and UTs, will be primarily made available through ration shops and, in some cases, from retail outlets of public sector oil marketing companies for cooking and lighting purposes. The Centre on Thursday allocated 48,000 kilolitres (kl) of additional kerosene to states on top of the regular quota of 1 lakh kl for use as cooking fuel.Most of the states have phased out kerosene use in the last 10 years, and consumers will have to either dig out their old stoves or hunt for new ones.

Similarly, several eateries that have moved from coal-fired tandoors to gas-based ovens will now have to go back to the old fuel and fix the tandoors.Officials said the provision of increased allocation has been made considering that it’s relatively simple to manufacture the fuel on an industrial scale by refining crude oil and can be used for cooking.“It was found to be an easy additional source for fuel for cooking purposes when we looked at alternative options in the light of reduced availability of LNG due to the conflict in West Asia. There have been demands from some of the coastal states to increase the allocation since a lot of kerosene is used by fishing boats,” said an official.A petroleum ministry circular said that the scale and criteria for distribution of kerosene will be decided by state and UT govts. They will also ensure that the kerosene allocated for PDS isn’t diverted for adulteration of petrol, diesel or for any other “unintended use”. They will also consider prioritising allocation of the fuel to rural households.It added that states and UTs may lift the entire allocation of kerosene within 45 days, and no carry-forward would be allowed for unlifted quantity. The ministry said that in kerosene-free districts, the food and civil supply department can identify 1-2 rural locations in every district for delivery and distribution of PDS kerosene.There are about five lakh ration shops across India. “We are fully prepared to take up this task and had made the request to govt early this week. This will bring some relief to the poor and rural population. The oil marketing companies will provide kerosene to states, and it will then be delivered to ration shops for sale. In most cases, around half a litre per capita per month would be distributed,” said Biswambhar Basu, national general secretary of All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Association.