Rising concerns around cooking gas supply have pushed millions of consumers in India to rush for LPG bookings, driving a government-backed app to the top of mobile download charts. IndianOil One, developed by Indian Oil Corporation, has climbed to the No. 1 position on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store free app rankings in India.
The app recently overtook ChatGPT to claim the top spot as Indian consumers respond to supply disruptions linked to the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy supply routes. The application continued to hold the No. 1 position on the morning of Mar 15.
In recent days, LPG distribution centres across Indian cities have witnessed long queues. Many restaurants and eateries have temporarily closed or reduced menu offerings due to tightening cooking gas supplies and rising prices.
Reports also indicate growing instances of LPG cylinder hoarding and black marketing. At the same time, consumers are increasingly turning to online marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart to purchase induction cooktops and other electric cooking alternatives.
Both LPG and PNG are commonly used as cooking fuels in India. The country currently has more than 33.4 crore households with LPG connections, while about 1.5 crore households use PNG connections. Unlike LPG, which is supplied through portable cylinders, PNG is delivered through pipeline networks.
According to data shared by Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the average number of LPG bookings by households was 55.7 lakh cylinders during the Apr–Feb period of the current financial year. However, bookings surged by more than 35% to reach 75.7 lakh on Mar 12.
The IndianOil One app allows users to book LPG cylinders, track deliveries, apply for new LPG connections and change distributors. It also provides a dynamic search feature to locate nearby petrol pumps and LPG distributors.
According to data from app analytics platform Sensor Tower, the app recorded more than 4 million downloads in the past 30 days. This number is significantly higher than other apps developed by the company, including IndianOil PNG, which has crossed 100,000 downloads on the Play Store.
The surge in LPG bookings has also affected digital platforms. In Punjab, a spike of nearly 30–40% in bookings reportedly caused a local online booking system to stop functioning temporarily, preventing new orders from being processed.
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