Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that government has undertaken various initiatives to attract more exploration and production investment to increase self-reliance in the energy sector.<br />''<br />''He said, India is moving towards a gas based economy by connecting the consumers through the City Gas Distribution, expanding pipeline networks and setting up CNG stations. Mr Puri said this on the occasion of signing of contracts for 31 Discovered Small Fields, which have been awarded to 14 Exploration and production domestic companies.<br />'' <br />''The Minister said, government has also taken several measures to minimize and mitigate the volatility of global crude oil and gas prices. He said, fuel price rise in India has been contained in comparison to exponential rise in developed countries.<br />'' <br />''Mr Puri said, most of the developed nations have witnessed significant rise in gasoline price by almost 40 per cent during July, 2021 to August this year, while in India, gasoline price has reduced by 2.12 per cent. Mr. Puri said India has demonstrated great resilience in the face of global energy crisis.<br />