Prime Minister Narendra Modi will laid the foundation stone in New Delhi for City Gas Distribution projects across 129 districts which won under the ninth CGD bidding round held recently. At each of the Geographical Areas across 19 states in India, the authorised entities also held their event locally. The projects, recently awarded by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), would cover 65 GAs to bring gas to around half of the country's population in 26 states and Union Territories. As part of a larger plan to shift towards an environment friendlier gas-based economy, the development of CGD networks will increase the availability of clean cooking fuel or Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and transportation fuel Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for consumers. The project has covered 96 cities and districts covering 46.5 lakh households and 32 lakh CNG vehicles so far.