Central directive on kerosene distribution fuels confusion in Raj

Jaipur: A recent Union govt notification directing states to distribute kerosene through the Public Distribution System (PDS) has created massive administrative confusion in Rajasthan, a state that has been completely kerosene-free since Jan 2021.Officials in the food and civil supplies department said Rajasthan stopped receiving PDS kerosene after the Union ministry cut its allocation to zero from the fourth quarter of 2020-21. Since then, the state has had no kerosene distribution system or reserves.Food, civil supplies and consumer forum secretary Ambrish Kumar said the state must now figure out a means to distribute kerosene. "The most important challenge is to find kerosene. At present, we don't have any available stocks," he said.A March 29 gazette notification from the ministry of petroleum and natural gas said, "In view of the prevailing geo-political situation affecting energy supplies worldwide," the Union govt had decided to make an ‘ad hoc allocation' of PDS superior kerosene oil (SKO) to states and UTs, including 21 states and UTs that are PDS SKO-free, for distribution to households for cooking and lighting". The order has triggered uncertainty in Rajasthan's administrative circles.Along with the lack of kerosene stocks and a distribution system, officials flagged another problem unique to SKO-free states – the absence of kerosene stoves in markets. Mahadev Meena, a kitchen appliances wholesaler, said kerosene stoves are no longer sold in retail markets in Rajasthan. Retailers now stock only modified stoves that run on small LPG cylinders, while kerosene tanks and related spare parts have vanished from the market, he added.