Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday sought the Centre's intervention to permit temporary allocation of one additional domestic LPG cylinder to households in the state for a period of two months in view of the upcoming festival season, PTI reported.
He sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi considering the upcoming festival season covering Ramzan, Easter and Vishu.
In his letter, the CM said he was writing to seek the intervention of the Government of India to permit the temporary allocation of one additional domestic LPG cylinder to households in Kerala for a limited period of two months, considering the festival season.
Vijayan noted that Ramzan is a period of intensive religious observance during which Muslim households prepare two cooked meals daily -- Sehri (pre-dawn) and Iftar (post-sunset) -- in addition to special food preparations associated with Eid al-Fitr, resulting in a significant rise in cooking gas consumption during the fasting month.
He pointed out that Kerala has one of the highest levels of LPG dependence in the country, with over 95 per cent of households relying almost entirely on LPG for cooking.
Muslims constitute about 26.5 per cent of the state's population, and it is estimated that nearly 25 lakh Muslim households depend on domestic LPG connections under regular schemes and the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, he said.
Like most regions in India, Kerala too is facing delays in LPG refill deliveries arising from broader supply constraints affecting the country, including disruptions linked to tensions in West Asia, which have affected LPG imports and tanker movements, the CM said.
He said the extension of the refill booking interval and the surge in demand during Ramzan have created particular hardship for households observing the fast.
Vijayan further said that this period also coincides with the Easter season for the Christian community and the Vishu festival for the Hindu community in Kerala, both of which traditionally involve extensive cooking and family gatherings.