New Delhi, April 13 -- With global crude oil prices surging past $100 per barrel amid the West Asia crisis, the government has begun nudging households and industries to shift to alternative energy sources as it seeks to ease pressure on domestic fuel supplies and reduce dependence on imports.

Amid concerns over availability of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), consumers have been encouraged to move to electric cookstoves and piped natural gas (PNG), while industries reliant on commercial LPG have been asked to move to PNG and electric furnaces.

"There is pressure on LPG and that's why repeated requests have been made to consumers to shift to other available energy sources-PNG or electric cookstoves," Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the ...