Govt Repeatedly Said Aadhaar Wasn't Compulsory for LPG, Now it is Pushing it Aggressively
New Delhi: Despite assurances in the past that "no service or benefit has been stopped" for customers who have not completed Biometric Aadhaar Authentication, the Union government has now made it compulsory to complete the authentication process in order to continue availing domestic LPG cylinders at regulated retail selling price (RSP), according to information provided by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application. The query was filed by Commodore Lokesh K Batra (Retd.), a transparency campaigner.
"The eKYC is required only once and there are no charges for completing Biometric Aadhaar Authentication. Biometric Aadhaar Authentication can be performed using any of the ten fingerprints, or alternatively through Iris or Face authentication. In the event of difficulty with fingerprint-based authentication, the other authentication modalities like Face or Iris may be used," IOCL said in its reply filed on September 4, 2026.
In addition, the PSU also attached press releases issued by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) and an advertisement pertaining to the matter.
The advertisement mentions that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries, including those who have previously completed Biometric Aadhaar Authentication, must complete it once in each financial year if they wish to avail Targeted DBT subsidy (Rs 300 per 14.2 kg LPG cylinder) on the eighth and ninth refills of 14.2 kg cylinders (or proportionate 21st refill onwards in case of 5 kg cylinders).
It is unclear when this advertisement was issued.
"If biometric authentication is not completed by 31st March, the withheld subsidy for those refills taken during the year will lapse permanently. Supply and delivery of LPG refills will not be disrupted in any manner for want of biometric authentication; beneficiaries can continue to book refills seamlessly up to the prescribed annual capping limit," the advertisement added.
The press release issued on July 9, 2024 mentioned that authentication activities were being undertaken as a part of LPG safety inspections/camps which are currently undergoing. "To further augment the authentication of consumers, MoPNG in October 2023 had issued directions to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to undertake and complete Biometric Aadhaar Authentication of PMUY and PAHAL [Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh] beneficiaries."
Further, it added that "no service or benefit has been stopped for consumers whose biometric authentication has not been completed."
The press release issued on July 25, 2024 by the ministry also reiterated this point mentioning that "significant numbers of Biometric Aadhaar Authentications (more than 35 lakh PMUY beneficiaries) were successfully conducted during Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra camps. Authentication activities are being undertaken at the customer's doorstep as a part of LPG Safety Inspections/Camps which are currently undergoing."
"All domestic LPG Consumers are encouraged to undergo biometric Aadhaar authentication using any of the available methods at their convenience," the July 25 notification mentioned.
Notably, responding to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on July 25, 2024 Minister of State in MoPNG Suresh had stated, "All domestic LPG consumers are encouraged to undergo Biometric Aadhaar Authentication using any of the available methods at their convenience."
"No service or benefit has been stopped for consumers whose biometric authentication has not been completed," Gopi added.
It is pertinent to note that in the Lok Sabha reply, the minister mentioned that Biometric Aadhaar Authentication is only "encouraged" and didn't underline that it was compulsory.
As per the latest MoPNG statement, consumers of domestic cooking gas in India are required to complete Biometric Aadhaar Authentication by October 1, 2026, to continue purchasing refills at subsidised prices.
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