Consider the following statements:

1. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is the first regulatory body set up by the Government of India.

2. One of the tasks of PNGRB is to ensure competitive markets for gas.

3. Appeals against the decisions of PNGRB go before the Appellate Tribunals for Electricity.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

The correct answer is 2 and 3 only.

Let us analyze each statement step-by-step to understand why this option is correct:

Statement 1 is incorrect:
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) was established under the PNGRB Act, 2006. It is not the first regulatory body set up by the Government of India. Various statutory regulatory bodies were established long before PNGRB, such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI - established in 1935), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI - established as a statutory body in 1992), and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI - established in 1997).

Statement 2 is correct:
One of the primary mandate and tasks of the PNGRB is to protect the interests of consumers and entities engaged in specified activities relating to petroleum, petroleum products, and natural gas, and to promote competitive markets for gas.

Statement 3 is correct:
According to Section 30 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006, any person aggrieved by an order or decision made by the Board (PNGRB) may prefer an appeal to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) established under the Electricity Act, 2003.

Therefore, statements 2 and 3 are correct, making 2 and 3 only the right choice.