Consider the following activities:
- I.Production of crude oil
- II.Refining, storage and distribution of petroleum
- III.Marketing and sale of petroleum products
- IV.Production of natural gas
How many of the above activities are regulated by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board in our country?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Only two
Only II and III are regulated. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 covers refining, processing, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas, and it expressly leaves out the production of crude oil and natural gas.
- ✗ I Producing crude oil is upstream work and is excluded from the Board's remit.
- ✓ II Refining, storage and distribution are named activities under the Act.
- ✓ III Marketing and sale of petroleum products are named activities under the Act.
- ✗ IV The Act excludes the production of natural gas, although transporting, distributing and selling it are regulated.
Remember · PNGRB (Act of 2006) regulates refining, storage, transport, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum and natural gas, but not upstream production of crude oil or natural gas.
Sources
- The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (No. 19 of 2006), Section 1(4), on the PNGRB website ↗ “It applies to refining, processing, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas excluding production of crude oil and natural gas.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·