Amid growing concerns over LPG shortages amid the US-Iran conflict, Indian consumers are bypassing panic in favor of parody. From viral memes to biting satire, social media is proving that while fuel might be scarce, Indian wit is in endless supply.
Here are some of the most hilarious memes that are flooding the Internet amid the LPG shortage:
India has now officially entered its ‘Induction Era,’ and not in a corporate training way. Induction cooktops are out of stock in several metro cities on quick-commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart.
Search interest in “induction cooktop” has risen in India over the past two days, according to Google Trends, suggesting a surge in consumer curiosity about electric cooking alternatives.
Other than the induction cooktop, netizens also explored hilarious alternatives for cooking.
Social media users also joked about LPG cylinders being robbed from homes amid the shortage.
Some even went so far as planning to steal the cooking gas as a last resort.
While other users quipped that Indian moms have a solution for everything:
Indian households connected to piped natural gas, where consumers have not yet felt a direct impact of the shortage, also participated in the meme fest.
As the Indian government and oil marketing companies tried to assure the users that the situation was under control, netizens noted that Indian Oil Corp Ltd was sharing ways to save fuel.
As panic LPG bookings spiked in the last few hours, the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas assured that it wasn’t necessary, as the standard delivery timeframe for households remains 2.5 days.
However, the unforgiving social media mocked the situation with a meme on gas agencies:
Feels like Covid-time lockdown
Talking to India Today, a street food vendor who sells samosas in Noida’s Sector 16 said there is a sense of uncertainty because of the LPG shortage.
Promod Kumar shared that he wasn’t sure if he would be able to open his small food stall the next day.
The vendor, who usually buys the gas cylinder from the black market, said the prices have already shot up from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500. And his latest purchase was of ₹2,300. This has forced Promod and many like him to spike the prices by nearly 50%.
Food businesses, both big and small, are either on the brink of shutting down or have already closed because the commercial sector was hit the worst by the shortage of LPG cylinders.
This has hit lakhs of gig workers who are losing out on work, according to an India Today report quoting a labor union. It said the LPG crisis had reduced delivery work by 50-60% in several cities.
“It feels like the Covid lockdown,, a man waiting for his dinner at Noida Sector 22 told India Today Digital. “At least back then we were getting food. Corona, lockdown, demonetisation, it seems we are the ones who keep seeing all of this.”
‘Attempts on to control LPG crisis’
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi on Thursday said that efforts are underway to bring the LPG crisis under control and that avenues are opening for India to secure additional supply.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. The narrow passage carries around a quarter of global seaborne oil trade and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas and fertilisers.
The United Nations has warned of significant risks to global trade and development, including higher food prices and cost-of-living, if the Strait of Hormuz is closed amid the West Asia conflict.
“The Prime Minister has spoken to all countries regarding how the Hormuz Strait issue has affected lives and sought exemptions. I am not giving the exact data, but ways are opening for us to get more LPG,” Gopi said.
PM Modi on LPG crisis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also appealed to people not to panic and assured that public interest will be protected. The PM expressed confidence of tackling the LPG crisis, where short supply of commercial LPG has crippled the country’s hotel sector.
“I would like to appeal to people, let us only spread correct, verified information,” he said, apparently referring to the LPG crisis. The conflict has affected the whole world’s energy supply chain, he said.
