Domestic LPG consumers who have not completed biometric Aadhaar authentication will no longer receive refills at the subsidised Retail Selling Price, following a Union Petroleum Ministry direction to Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL. The change takes immediate effect and will apply to consumers who remained non-compliant after the eKYC deadline ended on September 14.
Consumers who have not completed the Biometric Aadhaar Authentication process will have two options, according to a September 17 ministry communication shared by the Telangana LPG Distributors’ Association. They can complete the authentication process and continue buying cylinders at the regulated price, or provide a written declaration to their distributor stating that they are unable to complete it and receive refills at the market-determined price.
The ministry has directed the three public-sector oil marketing companies to block consumers who are not BAA-compliant from receiving refills at the regulated price. Once a consumer completes the authentication process, eligibility to draw refills at that price will be restored, the communication said. The ministry did not specify the market-determined price that will apply to consumers who do not complete the process.
Around 3.16 crore domestic LPG consumers across India had not completed BAA as of September 14, despite repeated extensions of the deadline. Explicit subsidy benefits, including Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG and targeted subsidy, had already been stopped for these consumers from July 1. They continued to receive refills at the regulated Retail Selling Price, which the ministry described as an implicit subsidy and an avoidable burden on the exchequer.
The change has particular significance in Telangana, where there are an estimated 1.26 crore domestic LPG connections. The Telangana LPG Distributors’ Association has appealed to consumers to complete BAA at the earliest to avoid interruption in their household cooking-fuel supply. The association said it supports the government’s objective of completing authentication for all domestic LPG consumers to improve the targeting of subsidy benefits and the use of public funds.
Consumers can complete the process free of cost at the office of their LPG distributor, during cylinder delivery using the biometric-enabled handheld device available with delivery personnel, or through the relevant oil marketing company’s mobile application and customer portal. The association has advised consumers to keep their Aadhaar details linked and updated and ensure that the mobile number registered with the LPG connection remains active for receiving alerts and one-time passwords.
The ministry’s direction places the immediate responsibility for implementing the change on Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, while distributors will process authentication and written declarations from consumers who say they cannot complete it. Consumers who do not complete BAA and do not opt for the regulated-price route will receive future refills at the market-determined price.
