Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024): the rules for petrol pump dealers

Short answer

Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) are the public-sector oil companies' rules for their retail outlet (petrol pump) and kerosene dealers. The edition in force took effect on 24.10.2024 and replaced MDG 2012 MDG 2024, cover page. Every irregularity MDG lists is graded critical, major or minor, and the grade sets the first action MDG 8.1.

The Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) are the oil companies' rules for their dealers, and bind dealers through the dealership agreement. This page is a plain-language explanation by MDG Services (a brand of VRUOOM Private Limited). It is not the official text and is not connected with or approved by IndianOil, BPCL, HPCL or any government body, so please check the current guidelines and circulars on the oil companies' own websites and with your oil company officer before you act.

Checked against the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (Ver. 1, effective 24.10.2024) on 15 October 2026. Published by MDG Services on 15 October 2026.

Topics

PenaltiesCritical, major and minor irregularities, and the main ways sales are stopped.4 pages

Inspections and noticesWho can inspect a pump, what a visit covers, and what follows a finding.6 pages

Density and qualityDensity at 15°C: when to measure it, the register and the density board.10 pages

Stock variationThe 4% of tank stock limit, other allowances, and the action beyond it.4 pages

Meters and sealsSeals, nozzle checks, the 5-litre measure and zero before delivery.3 pages

Receiving a tankerThe 14 steps from matching the invoice to recording density.3 pages

Samples and labsThe three samples, who draws and keeps each, and for how long.6 pages

Customer facilitiesAir, toilet, phone, first aid box, drinking water and the complaint book.4 pages

Automated outletsReporting faults and written permission for manual mode at automated outlets.1 page

Tools and reference

Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) PDF: where to read it, version and updatesWhere to read the MDG 2024 text on the oil companies' websites, its version and effective date, and a dated log of the circulars we know of under it.

Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) glossary: terms and full formsA to Z meanings of the short forms and terms in MDG 2024 that a petrol pump dealer meets, such as MDG, OMC, RO, MS, HSD, MPD, NANO and reference density.

Disclaimer and how we write these guidesWhat these plain-language guides to the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 are, what they are not, and how to report an error or send us a notice.

Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) vs MDG 2012: what changed for dealersMDG 2012 (Ver. 7) and MDG 2024 side by side: toilet and short delivery penalties, wages, service standards, appeals and what stayed the same.

Litres to kg for diesel and petrol: 1 litre diesel kitne kgChange litres to kg, or kg to litres, for diesel and petrol. A litre of diesel is about 0.83 kg. Type the density from your invoice for your own load.

5 litre test calculator for petrol pump nozzles: is the gap within the limit?Type what the 5-litre measure showed and see the gap in ml, per 100 litres, where it falls against the MDG 2024 range, and what the dealer must do.

Dip chart calculator for petrol pump tanks: read litres between two linesType two rows from your own tank's dip chart and your dip in between to get the litres, worked in a straight line with the sum shown. No chart is held here.

Petrol pump dealer margin calculator: monthly margin and profit per litreType your own sales, the margin per KL from your oil company's letter and your monthly costs to see the month's margin, what is left and the margin per litre.

Diesel and petrol density chart with temperature (10 to 45°C)Type the density at 15°C and see what a hydrometer reads at 10 to 45°C for diesel or petrol, worked from ASTM Table 53B. A helper only, not a printed chart.

Density register and daily stock register format: PDF and ExcelDownload printable A4 formats and Excel sheets for a petrol pump's density register and daily stock register, in English and Hindi, built on MDG 2024.

MDG 2024 for IndianOil, BPCL and HPCL dealers: is it the same?One Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 text covers the dealers of all three public-sector oil companies. What each company decides, and where to check.

MDG 2024 questions and answers: stock, nozzle, density and penalty limitsShort answers, with figure and clause, to what dealers are asked in training and tests: tank variation, HSD handling loss, nozzle limit, density, penalties.

HSD, MS and other product names at a petrol pump: full forms and meaningsHSD is High Speed Diesel and MS is Motor Spirit (petrol). What MS, HSD, SKO, branded fuel, XP95-type names and DSM mean at a pump, with the MDG density ranges.

What MDG is

Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) is usually the document dealers mean when they say petrol pump ke niyam (पेट्रोल पंप के नियम). It covers the daily running of a pump: fuel quality, quantity, price, records and customer service MDG 1.6 MDG 5.1.12.

The first MDG was framed in 1981-82 MDG 2024, introduction. The edition in force is MDG 2024, Version 1, effective 24.10.2024 MDG 2024, cover page. It replaced MDG 2012: see what changed. The text has eight chapters and thirteen annexures, plus 12a and 13a. The annexures hold forms, labels and test tables; Annexure 1 is the format for the density record MDG 1.2(xiv) MDG Annexure 1.

A pump answers to more than MDG. The dealer must also follow the statutory rules, the explosives authority's rules and the Government's order on MS and HSD malpractices MDG 1.5(i) MDG 1.5(ii) MDG 1.5(v). A malpractice that a government authority establishes also counts as an MDG irregularity MDG 8.7. The oil companies have duties too: see oil company duties MDG 3.1.

The three grades of irregularity

Chapter 8 sorts the irregularities MDG lists into three grades, and the grade sets the first action MDG 8.1.

Grade	First action
Critical MDG 8.2	Termination at the first instance
Major MDG 8.3	Usually a 15-day suspension of sales and supplies, then 30 days, then termination. Branded fuel and automation have their own ladders
Minor MDG 8.4	A warning-cum-guidance letter, then Rs 10,000, then Rs 25,000 per irregularity

The full ladders are on the penalties page.

Where to start

An inspector is at your pump: what happens at an inspection.
You have a notice: the show cause notice timeline.
A tanker is due: receiving a tanker.
A density or stock figure looks wrong: density and stock variation.
You want to check your own pump: the self-inspection checklist.

General information, not legal advice. For your own notice, speak to an advocate or your oil company.

Questions dealers ask

01What is the full form of MDG in a petrol pump?

MDG stands for Marketing Discipline Guidelines. The first set was framed in 1981-82 MDG 2024, introduction. The edition in force is Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) MDG 2024, cover page.

02Petrol pump ke niyam: which rules must a petrol pump dealer follow?

MDG 2024 is the main set, and it deals with fuel quality, quantity, price, records and customer service MDG 1.6 MDG 5.1.12. The statutory rules and the explosives authority's rules apply as well MDG 1.5(i) MDG 1.5(ii).

03Who has to follow MDG 2024?

Retail outlet (RO) and kerosene (SKO) dealers of the public-sector marketing companies MDG 2024, cover page. The acknowledgement form at the end of the text names IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.

04When did MDG 2024 come into effect, and does it replace MDG 2012?

It took effect on 24.10.2024 (Version 1) MDG 2024, cover page and replaced MDG 2012, last amended on 30.11.2022 (Ver. 7) MDG 2012 cover page. A repeat irregularity is still counted back over the previous guideline MDG 8.5.5.

Read the official text: Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (PDF on Bharat Petroleum's website) (also published on iocl.com).

About Dealer Kavach (advertisement)

Dealer Kavach is an app from MDG Services that tracks your outlet's filings, renewals, inspections and daily reports, and reminds you before deadlines, in Hindi and English.

About this page. This page is a plain-language explanation published by MDG Services, a brand of VRUOOM PRIVATE LIMITED (CIN U29194HR2021PTC098450). It is general information, offered free of charge. It is not the official text of any rule.

Not connected with the oil companies or the government. MDG Services is a private company. It is not connected with, approved by, endorsed by, or acting for Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IndianOil), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) or any government body. Our name shares letters with the short form "MDG" that the oil companies use for their Marketing Discipline Guidelines. That does not mean any link with them.

Names and marks. IndianOil, BPCL, HPCL and the names of their documents belong to their owners. We write them only to say whose rules we are explaining.

Check the official source. The Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (Ver. 1, effective 24.10.2024) and related circulars are issued by the oil companies. Rules, amounts and dates can change, and amendments may reach dealers directly without being public. Before you act, read the current documents on the oil companies' own websites (iocl.com, bharatpetroleum.in, hindustanpetroleum.com) and ask your own oil company's officer. If this page and the official document differ, the official document is the one to follow.

What the amounts mean. Amounts in the guidelines are the minimum action. The oil company may take higher action, up to ending the dealership. Do not treat any amount shown here as your full exposure.

Court and Parliament items. Where we mention a court order or a statement in Parliament, we report what was said on the date shown. It is not the rule for your outlet, and the position may have changed since. Your dealership agreement and the oil company's current guidelines decide.

Not legal advice. This is general information, not legal advice. For your own notice, reply or appeal, speak to an advocate or your oil company. Examples use made-up outlets.

Last checked. The "checked" date shows the day we last compared this page with the official documents. It does not promise that nothing has changed since.

Report an error or send a legal notice. If you see a mistake, or need to send us a notice, write to hello@mdgservices.in. We read every message, check it, and correct or remove the page.

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