New Delhi, Feb. 24 -- India's natural gas import expenditure has witnessed a significant increase, rising 17.2 per cent to USD 12.9 billion during April-January of the current fiscal year, according to data released by the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell.

The January figures alone showed an 8.3 per cent increase to USD 1.3 billion compared to the previous year, reflecting the country's growing energy demands.

The nation imported 31,347 million standard cubic meters of liquefied natural gas in the first ten months of FY25, representing a 21 per cent increase from the previous fiscal year.

Market analysts attribute this substantial growth to increasing demand and stabilised global natural gas prices, which had reached unprecedented ...