In the 1970s Government of India introduced regulatory controls on production, imports, distribution and pricing of crude oil and petroleum products in India. This led to implementation of Administered Price Mechanism (APM) in the oil sector. Under APM , the Government of India was fixing (Artificial price fixing) the prices of Petroleum products. Hence the price rise or reduction was based on political decision of the present government and not on sound economic decision.

Government announced the dismantling of the Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) effective April 01, 2002. But in order to insulate the Domestic LPG prices from the impact of unprecedented high international oil prices, the Government decided to provide subsidy on sale of domestic LPG at specified flat rates under the Budget. This resulted in huge subsidy / under-recovery burden arising out of selling petroleum products at a price below the prevailing international prices to the Govt of India through budgetary support, Public Sector Upstream Oil companies namely, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Oil India Limited (OIL) and GAIL (India) Limited (GAIL) by way of price discount on Crude oil and products and Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies, by absorbing a part of the under recovery.

Government of India launched Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG consumer (DBTL) scheme namely, ‘PAHAL’ on 1 Jan 2015. LPG consumers, who join the PAHAL scheme, will get the LPG cylinders at non-subsidized price and receive LPG subsidy (as per their entitlement) directly into their bank accounts. After introduction of DBTL, the state aim of Govt is that there will be no under-recovery burden on National Oil Companies (both upstream and downstream) and entire burden of subsidy on sale of Subsidized Domestic LPG will be borne by the Government.