Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan dedicated 56 CNG stations to the nation on 10 September 2020.
These CNG stations are in 14 states -- Chandigarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh and one in Union Territory.
In the last six years, the number of CNG stations has gone up from 947 to over 2,300. Presently more than 400 districts of the country are being covered by the City Gas distribution network. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is preparing to come out with 11th round of CGD bidding, after which 50-100 additional districts will get the clean fuel.
The Centre is committed to provide infrastructure to facilitate this, and 17,000 km long pipeline is being laid for the purpose.
Recently, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), NTPC and the South Delhi Municipal Council (SDMC) converted municipal waste at Ghazipur into gas.
The capital requirement for setting up retail outlets has been reduced from Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 250 crore, and even the start-ups can take part in it.
The retail outlets can not only sell traditional fossil fuels, but also dispense gas, and put up electric vehicle charging stations.