Across India, many schools are scrambling to find alternative fuel sources to LPG, such as firewood and induction stoves for their mid-day meal programmes. Schools located in rural areas of States like Odisha and Telangana that already use firewood have been saved from the crisis owing to the shortage of LPG in light of the West Asia conflict. Many schools are cutting down on their daily menu, affecting the nutritional quality of the food being provided to the children.
LPG and oil crisis updates on March 14, 2026
The provision of domestic LPG cylinders to mid-day meal schemes has helped stave off an immediate crisis since the government has officially announced curbs only on supply of commercial LPG. But reports indicate that as schools apply for cylinder refills, the situation may become dicey. The ongoing disruption in LPG import due to the war has coincided with the exam season. This means fewer students in schools and the impending closure of schools after exams is giving relief to education authorities.
Telangana has 24,972 schools. “There are close to 9,000 schools that rely solely on LPG for the mid-day meals programme. Some also have induction stoves,” said Naveen Nicolas, Director of School Education, Telangana. Most of the remaining schools depend on local firewood for meal preparations.
In Hyderabad, meals are supplied from centralised kitchens operated by trusts or NGOs. “All our operations are steam-based and use firewood and briquettes (compressed blocks of coal). LPG use is minimal for the workers, and required stock is available,” said Ramana Reddy, manager at Manna Trust that supplies food to 950 schools.
Odisha currently serves meals to 16,46,497 students out of 38,62,521 enrolled across 50,000-odd schools under the PM POSHAN Scheme. In rural parts of the State, meals are traditionally cooked using firewood, while authorities are beginning to confront a potential fuel crisis in urban pockets.
In Karnataka, the programme largely relies on domestic LPG cylinders supplied by the State government to schools and anganwadi centres, protecting it from the shortage of commercial cylinders that has affected hotels and eateries across the State. However, the shortage has begun to affect private accommodation facilities such as hostels and paying guest (PG) establishments.
Meanwhile, Sunita, a mid-day meal worker at Kishanpura primary school in Haryana’s Jind, said the LPG cylinders are being delivered although the gas agencies are taking up calls only after making repeated calls.
In Darbhanga, Madhubani, Gaya, Purnia, Aurangabad, Rohtas and Bhojpur districts of Bihar, school kitchens are switching to traditional earthen cooking stoves made of mud using firewood and coal.
Manju Devi, a cook at an anganwadi in Samastipur district, said: “A booking was made to refill the gas cylinder one week ago but we have still not got it. So, the headmaster has directed us to cook the mid-day meals on chulha (earthen stove) so that children do not go hungry.”
In Bihar, nearly 1.3 crore children studying in the government-run schools eat mid-day meals every day.
In Assam, many schools in rural and semi-urban areas rely on firewood, thus saving them from a crisis. “We provide mid-day meals to a substantial number of students, for which we require two LPG cylinders a month. We applied for and received a cylinder a few days ago. Fortunately, we are approaching the end of final exams in Assam, and the schools will remain closed until the next session after the results are declared. We could have faced a problem otherwise,” Hem Chandra Kakati, the principal in charge of Guwahati’s Assam Railway Higher Secondary School, said.
Radha (name changed), a noon-meal organiser in a government school in Chennai, has two cylinders stocked up at the institution. She is not worried about the stocks running out as the academic year will end in April. “We cook food for over 300 children and since exams are going on, the primary students come in only in the afternoon. Further, as it is exam season not many students come to the school every day. So, we have enough LPG cylinders to last us until April,” she said. Authorities have notified gas agencies that schools and anganwadis must be given priority for LPG cylinders.
Krishna Pradhan, State president of the West Bengal ASHA Workers’ Union, said all Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)centres are struggling to keep their kitchens working, especially in the rural areas. “Most rural area schools and ICDS centres have shifted to either wood or coal ovens to continue cooking. Centres closer to cities and towns are faring slightly better. But everyone is struggling,” Ms. Pradhan added. She also said that many have resorted to bringing gas cylinders from their own homes to ensure that the young children do not go without food.
Multiple community kitchens in Kolkata which serve mid-day meals to 5-7 schools each have also resorted to making only khichdi as the crisis for LPG cylinders worsens. A hostel, which functions as a subsidised residence for students of Presidency University, has closed its kitchen since the crisis began.
Published – March 14, 2026 10:40 pm IST
