• The news comes a month after PNGRB announced on August 16 that it has finalised a list of 65 Geographical Areas to be bid out under the 11th CGD Bidding Round
• The 65 GAs which have been put on offer in the 11th CGD bidding round include Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Samba and Kathua districts in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi: The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has invited bids for the development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in 65 Geographical Areas (GAs) under the 11th bidding round. "The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) invites electronic bids from interested parties for development of City Gas Distribution Network in the 65 Geographical Areas in terms of Regulation 5(5) of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Authorizing entities to Lay, Build, Operate or Expand City or Local Natural Gas Distribution Networks), 2008. The details of Geographical Areas and bids are available at Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP) website https://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app and PNGRB's website (www.pngrb.gov.in)," a notice released by the PNGRB said.

The news comes a month after PNGRB announced on August 16 that it has finalised a list of 65 Geographical Areas to be bid out under the 11th CGD Bidding Round.

11th CGD bidding round: Areas on offer

The 11th bidding round comes as the government has placed increased emphasis on raising the share of natural gas in the country's energy basket from the current 6 percent to 15 percent by 2030. The 65 GAs which have been put on offer in the 11th CGD bidding round include Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Samba and Kathua districts in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Mandi, Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts in Himachal Pradesh, Kondagaon, Bastar, Sukma, Narayanpur, Bijapur and Dantewada districts in Chhattisgarh. 

In addition, Nagpur in Maharashtra, Madurai in Tamil Nadu and Bikaner and Churu districts in Rajasthan are among the areas that are being offered for bidding.

PNGRB has so far authorised 228 GAs for setting up CGD network

Presently there are 228 Geographical Areas authorised by the PNGRB in 27 states and UTs covering approximately 53 percent of the country's geographical area and 70 percent of its population. In the last CGD bidding round, ie, the 10th CGD biding round, 50 Geographical Areas were authorised for development of the CGD Network.

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