3.6 million domestic LPG consumers in Maharashtra yet to complete BAA

Maharashtra has over 25 million domestic LPG consumers, with more than 60% receiving a central government subsidy of ₹210 on a 14.2-kg cylinder

More than 85% of Maharashtra’s LPG consumers have completed the mandatory biometric Aadhaar authentication (BAA) by September 21, according to figures available with the state Food and Civil Supplies Department.

As on Sept 21, there were about 3.6 million consumers in Maharashtra who hadn’t completed the authentication, an official of the state food and civil supplies department said. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo)

Maharashtra has over 25 million domestic LPG consumers, with more than 60% receiving a central government subsidy of ₹210 on a 14.2-kg cylinder, bringing the effective retail price down to ₹731.

As part of a nationwide crackdown to curb subsidy leakages and prevent commercial diversion of subsidised cylinders, the central government has mandated biometric verification by October 1.

As on Sept 21, there were about 3.6 million consumers who hadn’t completed the authentication, an official of the state food and civil supplies department said.

Consumers who fail to complete the BAA process by the deadline will have their domestic LPG connections blocked and will lose the subsidy.

“They will have the option of switching to 5-kg or 10-kg cylinders, which do not carry a subsidy. They will have to apply afresh for these connections,” a department official said.

The official said consumers who do not wish to complete BAA can choose to retain their LPG connection without the subsidy.

According to the department, BAA compliance in Maharashtra was lower than the national average of 90%.

“The non-compliance is due to various reasons, foremost among them being the commercial use of subsidised domestic cylinders. Most such cases are found in cities, where chains in the food business use subsidised cylinders meant for poor households. In some cases, hoteliers obtain such connections in the names of their employees. Other categories include consumers who have shifted to PNG, deceased beneficiaries and duplicate connections within the same household. In some cases, genuine consumers have been left out due to lack of awareness,” another official said. The department expects a few lakh more consumers to complete the BAA process before the October 1 deadline.

The official said that most consumers who have not complied with BAA are likely to be from the ‘ineligible beneficiary’ category.

The Centre spent ₹30,000 crore on LPG subsidy in 2025-26 and 2026-27.

“Even after this, the accumulated under-recoveries of public sector oil companies on domestic cylinders exceeded ₹62,000 crore as of August 31. This is also due to the geopolitical situation, under which cylinders cost the companies around ₹1,500, against the subsidised consumer price of ₹731,” a letter from the Centre to the state government said.