PNGRB Bats For Policy Parity Across EV, CNG And LNG Vehicles

Anjani Kumar Tiwari, Member, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), has called for policy parity across electric vehicles, compressed natural gas vehicles and liquefied natural gas vehicles, saying consumer economics must work for every segment.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the launch of The Energy and Resources Institute’s comparative assessment of vehicular fuels, Mr. Tiwari said a level-playing field across vehicle types was essential for consumers to make economic choices across technologies.

Consumer economics at the centre

Mr. Tiwari said consumer economics must remain central while policies are framed for all fuels.

“Economic consideration is important for consumers. At the same time, it is important to have a level-playing field for all vehicle technologies,” he said.

According to him, parity across vehicle technologies could be achieved through a mix of appropriate taxation, subsidies, infrastructure support and policy interventions.

He said that, without a balanced framework, consumers would find it difficult to compare the true economics of different vehicle options.

The TERI-PNGRB report seeks to address such gaps by identifying where infrastructure creation, incentives and tax structures need alignment across fuel categories.

“Where infrastructure is required to be created, where incentives are to be accorded or tax rates must be made similar across the board. These are some of the things that would help carve a level-playing field and is what the report seeks to put forth,” he said.

Mr. Tiwari added that leaving any segment unattended would make the overall paradigm “unbalanced”.

Report frames alignment across fuels

The comparative assessment of vehicular fuels by TERI is positioned around the economics and policy treatment of multiple vehicle and fuel categories, including EVs, CNG and LNG.

Mr. Tiwari’s comments placed taxation, subsidies, infrastructure support and policy interventions as the main levers through which such alignment could be pursued.

The emphasis on comparable economics matters because the report, according to Mr. Tiwari, is intended to show where incentives, tax rates and infrastructure creation need to be brought into better alignment across fuel categories.

His comments also linked the idea of parity to consumer choice, with the argument that a balanced policy framework would allow the true economics of vehicle options to be compared more clearly.

CNG prices and fuel availability

On recent CNG price increases, Mr. Tiwari attributed the pressure to higher input costs following the renewed conflict in West Asia.

India’s immediate priority, he said, was ensuring fuel availability.

“Once that [disruptions because of the West Asia crisis] stabilises, prices will eventually come down and ultimately passed on to consumers,” he added.

His remarks on CNG prices placed the current pressure in the context of input costs and disruptions linked to the West Asia crisis, while also indicating that availability remained the near-term concern.

CBG and domestic gas supply

Mr. Tiwari also highlighted the role of compressed biogas in reducing India’s dependence on imported gas.

Under the government’s target of setting up 5,000 CBG plants by 2030, the sector could contribute significantly to domestic gas availability.

“If these 5,000 plants operate at 50% capacity, around 30-40 million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD) of gas could be produced, depending on the [feedstock] yield,” he said.

The estimate underlined his view that CBG could form part of the broader fuel framework by adding to domestic gas availability while India works to reduce dependence on imported gas.

Published - September 30, 2026 10:23 pm IST.

Source: The Hindu