The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has issued a clarification regarding biometric Aadhaar authentication for LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) consumers. In a post on X, the ministry said that eKYC is required only for unauthenticated users, not all customers. The clarification has been issued amid some reports suggesting that LPG users must complete the process to receive the cylinders uninterrupted.
“THIS IS NOT A FRESH DIRECTION. The recent post by the ministry is a part of the ongoing efforts of the Government to encourage more LPG consumers to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication,” the ministry said.
According to the notification, the eKYC requirement applies only to LPG consumers who have not yet completed the authentication process.
“The requirement of eKYC applies to those LPG consumers who have not done eKYC so far. If you are a non-PMUY (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana) customer and have done it before, you don’t need to do it again,” the clarification reads.
PMUY need to do it once every year
For beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the notification states that eKYC needs to be completed only once per financial year.
“PMUY customers need to do it only once every financial year, that too only for receiving targeted DBT subsidies after 7 refills, i.e.. on 8th and 9th refill,” the notification said.
LPG Supply Remains Unaffected
The ministry has stressed that LPG cylinder supply will not be impacted under any circumstances, regardless of eKYC status.
It also noted that the eKYC process can be completed easily from home and is free of cost.
The government highlighted that eKYC helps improve transparency, establish clear eligibility criteria, eliminate duplicate or “ghost” consumers, and prevent the diversion of LPG cylinders.
Meanwhile, cooking gas LPG consumption in India fell by a steep 17.7 per cent in the first half of March on the back of supply disruptions due to war in West Asia, preliminary industry data showed.
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