The new subsidised LPG rule for consumers who have not completed biometric Aadhaar authentication came into force on October 1, restricting them to market-priced 5 kg or 10 kg refills unless they complete eKYC, according to The Hindu’s report from Hyderabad.
Under the regulations, households without biometric Aadhaar authentication will no longer receive subsidised domestic LPG cylinders. They must register their unwillingness or inability to complete the authentication process and consent to receive free trade LPG refills before they can access the smaller cylinders.
In Hyderabad, a subsidised 14.2 kg LPG cylinder costs ₹994, or about ₹70 per kg, according to the report. A 5 kg free trade LPG refill is priced at ₹846.50, while a 10 kg composite cylinder costs ₹1,801. First-time users of free trade LPG cylinders may also have to pay for the equipment, with prices linked to commercial LPG rates.
The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas announced the revised norms a few days after the September 14 deadline for completing eKYC. It directed Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited to implement the changes from October 1.
The stated objective of biometric Aadhaar authentication is to ensure that subsidised LPG reaches genuine and eligible households, while preventing diversion of refills and eliminating duplicate or ineligible connections. Consumers who complete the authentication can resume receiving subsidised refills, according to the report.
An instruction issued to distributors by an oil marketing company said pending orders and invoices, including prepaid orders, for both Ujjwala and non-Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana households that had not completed biometric authentication stood cancelled from October 1. This means some consumers may have to complete the authentication process before placing fresh orders for subsidised cylinders.
The first day of implementation did not produce an immediate disruption at LPG distributorships in Hyderabad or elsewhere in Telangana, Telangana LPG Distributors Association president Jagan Mohan Reddy told The Hindu. He said the impact was likely to become clearer as consumers discovered that orders could not be placed without completing eKYC.
Distributors have been asked to maintain stocks of smaller cylinders, particularly as the festival season and winter months approach. Reddy said he had advised distributors to keep sufficient supplies of 5 kg and 10 kg cylinders. Five-kilogram refills sold by private companies are also available in urban areas, the report said.
Telangana has 1.26 crore active LPG users, according to official figures cited in the report. The Centre recently said that 27.43 crore, or 89.9%, of active domestic LPG consumers across India had completed authentication as of September 19. No State-wise national breakup was provided in that figure.
Reddy estimated that around 11 lakh LPG users in Telangana had yet to complete eKYC. The immediate implementation task for oil marketing companies and distributors is therefore to process pending authentication requests, manage cancelled orders and maintain adequate stocks of the smaller market-priced cylinders.