"PNGRB and EESL Partner to Deploy Smart PNG Meters Nationwide"
City Gas Distribution (CGD)
A network that supplies natural gas to households, commercial, and industrial consumers through pipelines within a licensed geographical area.
Geographical Area (GA) Licence
A licence granted by PNGRB to a CGD entity giving it the exclusive right to develop gas distribution infrastructure in a defined district or area.
India's household energy transition has moved through distinct phases. The first phase replaced solid biomass fuels with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), most visibly through the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. However, LPG carries structural risks. India imports a large share of its LPG requirement from the Gulf, and supplies transit the Strait of Hormuz, exposing them to geopolitical disruption. LPG also involves physical cylinder logistics, storage hazards, and price volatility linked to global crude markets.
Piped Natural Gas (PNG) addresses many of these weaknesses. It is delivered through underground city-level pipeline networks, metered continuously, and generally cheaper per unit of energy than LPG. The regulatory framework for PNG is governed by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), established under the PNGRB Act, 2006. PNGRB awards Geographical Area (GA) licences to City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities and mandates rollout timelines. Appeals against PNGRB decisions go to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), a key institutional detail. Despite licensing covering a large share of India's districts, the gap between licensed GAs and active billed household connections has remained wide.
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Power. It is best known for large-scale demand aggregation, bulk procurement of energy-efficient products (LED bulbs, smart meters, electric vehicles) to drive down unit costs and accelerate adoption. EESL has already deployed smart electricity meters at scale under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), giving it a proven operational template for smart metering rollouts.
The PNGRB-EESL MoU brings together two complementary capabilities. PNGRB contributes regulatory authority over the CGD sector, it sets technical standards, monitors compliance, and can mandate technology upgrades across all licensed CGD entities. EESL contributes its demand-aggregation model: by pooling procurement across multiple CGD companies and states, it can negotiate lower prices for smart meters and reduce the capital burden on individual operators.
Traditional PNG meters are mechanical devices read manually by field staff. This creates several problems. Billing is periodic rather than real-time, making revenue leakage and tampering difficult to detect promptly. Leak detection depends on physical inspection. Customer service is slow because consumption data is not available remotely. …
Consider the following statements:
1.Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is the first regulatory body set up by the Government of India.
2.One of the tasks of PNGRB is to ensure competitive markets for gas.
3.Appeals against the decisions of PNGRB are made before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
'Net metering' is sometimes seen in the news in the context of promoting the
Consider the following statements about the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB):
1.It was the first regulatory body established by the Government of India.
2.Appeals against its decisions lie before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL).
3.It awards Geographical Area (GA) licences to City Gas Distribution entities.
4.It is mandated to ensure competitive markets for gas.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following institutions/schemes with their correct descriptions:
List I (Institution/Scheme)
A.PNGRB
B.EESL
C.APM/NAPM Incentive Scheme
D.APTEL
List II (Description)
1.Awards Geographical Area licences to City Gas Distribution companies
2.Hears appeals against decisions of the petroleum and natural gas regulator
3.Uses demand aggregation to procure energy-efficient products at scale
4.Rewards CGD companies with lower-priced gas for incremental billed PNG connections
With reference to Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), consider the following statements:
1.It operates under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
2.It uses a demand-aggregation model to procure energy-efficient products in bulk.
3.It has previously deployed smart electricity meters under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements about Smart Domestic PNG Meters being deployed under the PNGRB-EESL initiative:
1.They enable remote meter reading, eliminating the need for periodic manual billing.
2.They include real-time leak detection and remote valve shut-off capabilities.
3.They are procured through EESL's demand-aggregation model to reduce unit costs.
4.Their deployment requires an amendment to the PNGRB Act, 2006.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
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