India’s cooking gas distribution network has long been plagued by a quiet crisis – subsidised LPG cylinders meant for households routinely ended up in the black market, diverted by unscrupulous delivery personnel and agents. With the LPG crisis now deepening due to the US-Iran war, the government’s answer to this is deceptively simple – an OTP.

The Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) is a one-time-use code used to verify the legitimacy of home LPG cylinder delivery, ensuring the cylinder reaches the rightful customer. When a booking is made, the customer receives the code on their registered mobile number, which must be shown to the delivery person before the cylinder changes hands.

Ever since the crisis began, the government has significantly scaled up this system, with DAC coverage now reaching nearly 72 percent of deliveries, up from 53 percent earlier. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has directed oil companies to ensure the DAC system is used in at least 80 percent of LPG deliveries, making OTP verification mandatory for the majority of cylinders.

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have introduced the DAC system – sent via SMS and shared with delivery personnel – to ensure verified delivery, with IVRS/SMS refill booking also implemented nationwide, providing alerts at key stages including booking, cash memo generation, and delivery.

If distributors fail to meet the DAC requirement, the system flags cylinders as still in the agency’s inventory even though they have been delivered -creating a digital paper trail that exposes irregularities and improves transparency across the supply chain.

Consumers can ensure they receive DAC codes by taking these steps:

– Link your mobile number to your LPG consumer ID via your distributor or the Indane/HP/Bharat Gas app.

– Book via IVRS by calling your provider’s helpline – the DAC is sent automatically via SMS upon booking.

– Update details online at iocl.com or your respective oil company’s portal.

– Visit your distributor with photo ID and consumer ID if SMS is not being received.

– If the OTP does not arrive, customers can show their Aadhaar card as an alternate identity verification to receive the cylinder.

With the government pushing toward an 80 percent DAC compliance target, the system represents a low-cost, high-impact fix to a problem that has cost the exchequer significantly. For millions of households, it also means the subsidised cylinder they paid for will actually reach their doorstep.

New Delhi, March 19: India’s thermal power plants have adequate coal stocks of around 53.41 million tonnes which are adequate for nearly 23 days at the present rate of consumption, and further stocks are also being built up at the pitheads of coal mining companies as a proactive measure to meet any exigency amid the disruption in oil and gas supplies due to the Iran war, the Ministry of Coal said on Thursday.

The pithead coal stock at the mines of Coal India Limited (CIL), which was 106.78 million tonnes (MT) as on April 1, 2025, has grown to about 125.54 MT as on March, 18, 2026. Further, there is around 5.75 MT of coal at the mines of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and another 15.75 MT coal at the mines of captive/commercial mines and about 12 MT in transit and about 5.49 MT in ports and good-shed sidings, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

Coal is continuing to ensure reliable baseload power to support core industries such as steel and cement that underpin the economic growth of the country. The coal production in the country continues at a pace matching the prevailing demands of the consumer and building adequate stocks at the mine-end for maintaining adequate supplies to the consumers as per their requirements, with the continued support of Railways, the statement said.

Coal India Limited is taking adequate measures to ensure the supply of coal to all consumers, including small, medium, and other consumers. As a proactive step, CIL has planned 29 e-auctions in the month of March, offering about 23.56 MT of coal. Out of these 29 auctions, 5 auctions have already been conducted since March 12, wherein 73.1 lakh ton of coal was offered, and 31.96 lakh ton of coal has been booked, indicating adequacy of coal offered in the e-auctions, the statement said.

In addition to this, CIL has also taken necessary action to ensure coal availability to the small, medium and other consumers through the State Nominated Agencies (SNAs) route and requested the state governments to provide the additional coal requirement, which can be met in full to avoid any energy shortages. The coal offtake of the states through the SNAs is being constantly monitored by CIL to ensure that uninterrupted supplies are ensured, the statement said.

The Ministry of Coal is ensuring a performance-driven ecosystem through sustained policy facilitation, robust monitoring mechanisms, and proactive stakeholder engagement. These concerted efforts are aimed at providing reliable coal availability, enabling uninterrupted operations across critical sectors, and effectively meeting the nation’s growing energy demands, the statement added.

New Delhi, March 19: Indian households are sitting on an enormous reserve of gold, and that wealth is now quietly reshaping the country’s lending market, a report has said.

According to a report by Morgan Stanley, Indian households collectively own more than 34,000 tonnes of gold.

Kotak Mahindra Bank estimates this stockpile to be worth nearly $5 trillion. While most of this gold — around 90 per cent — still lies idle, it is increasingly being used as collateral to raise quick loans.

Gold-backed lending has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments in India’s retail credit space.

This comes at a time when other forms of consumer loans, especially unsecured personal loans, have slowed due to tighter regulations.

The Reserve Bank of India had tightened rules around unsecured lending in late 2023, limiting easy access to such credit for many borrowers.

As a result, more people are turning to gold loans. These loans are easier to access, often require minimal paperwork, and can be disbursed quickly.

At the same time, a sharp rise in global gold prices has made this option even more attractive.

Since 2024, gold prices have surged significantly, increasing the value borrowers can unlock against their jewellery.

Data from the RBI shows that gold loans more than doubled in just one year, reaching Rs 4 trillion in January from Rs 1.75 trillion a year earlier.

This makes gold loans the fastest-growing retail credit category in India, after home and vehicle loans.

However, the actual size of the gold loan market is believed to be much larger. Experts estimate it to be around Rs 14 trillion, as RBI data does not fully capture lending by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).

These NBFCs account for nearly half of the gold loan market. The rapid growth of gold loans is also drawing global attention.

Private equity firm Bain Capital is planning to acquire up to a 41.7 per cent stake in Manappuram Finance, a deal recently approved by the RBI.

Meanwhile, Japan’s financial giant Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has acquired a 20 per cent stake in Shriram Finance, which is also expanding its gold loan business.