Aadhaar biometric mandatory for subsidized domestic LPG refills from October 1
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Aadhaar biometric mandatory for subsidized domestic LPG refills from October 1

Awaz E Bihar••28 views•3 min read

From October 1 next month, customers will have to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication (BAA) to book a domestic LPG refill at the fixed retail selling price (RSP) with subsidy. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Saturday that as of September 19, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers in the country, i.e. 89.9 percent, have completed their biometric Aadhaar verification. These users will not need to re-authenticate and will continue to receive refills as before.
According to the ministry, the objective of the BAA system is to ensure supply of subsidized domestic LPG cylinders to genuine and eligible families.
Linking each LPG connection to an Aadhaar authenticated user will help identify and eliminate duplicate and ineligible connections. This will also help prevent subsidized domestic cylinders from being diverted for commercial or industrial use and make subsidy distribution more transparent. The ministry has clarified that this process is not intended to deprive any genuine family of LPG and there are several easy alternatives available for eligible consumers to complete the verification. Consumers who have not yet completed the BAA can do so before October 1, they said. This process can also be completed at the time of delivery of the LPG cylinder. Delivery employee can do on-the-spot verification through OMC's mobile app. Alternatively, consumers can complete the process by visiting their LPG distributor's shop. There is also an option for users to complete e-KYC themselves through the mobile app at home. Indian customers of Indian Oil One, Bharat Gas customers of Hello BPCL and HP Gas customers can complete the process through the HP Pay app. A video guide on doing self-e-KYC is available on the PMUI portal.
For customers who have not completed BAA, booking of refills on RSP with subsidy will start after verification is completed, the ministry said. However, customers who do not wish to undergo biometric verification or are unable to complete it due to any reason will still have the option of getting LPG. Such customers have to register this option through their respective Oil Marketing Company (OMC) payment channels, such as customer web portal, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot, IVRS or other available channels. They will be supplied with LPG in 5 or 10 kg cylinders at prevailing market price without subsidy based on local availability. The government said consumers were earlier given a deadline of June 30 to complete the BAA, which was extended several times to give additional time to consumers. The deadline was extended to July 31, August 7, August 15, August 23, August 31, September 7 and finally September 14.
According to the ministry, during refill booking, information was given to customers for verification through IVRS messages, mobile notifications, social media, newspapers and other sources. The government has said that domestic LPG is being continuously subsidized to keep it affordable for consumers. The subsidy on 14.2 kg domestic cylinder in September 2026 is around Rs 210 per cylinder. The ministry has requested all domestic LPG consumers, who have not yet completed BAA, to complete the verification through any available means before October 1. For assistance related to LPG services, customers can contact the toll-free helpline 1800 2333 555.
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