Govt asks domestic cooking gas consumers to get e-KYC done through Aadhaar

Annual biometric Aadhaar authentication is mandatory for over 105.1 million Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries to avail subsidy

The government has asked over 330 million domestic consumers of cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to get their electronic know your customer (e-KYC) done through the biometric Aadhaar authentication system.

In 2022, the government started a targeted subsidy. (HT PHOTO/Representative)

“All domestic LPG consumers are required to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication (e-KYC),” the petroleum ministry said on X. “Now verify from the comfort of your home using your Oil Marketing Company’s (OMCs) mobile app and Aadhaar FaceRD app.”

Annual biometric Aadhaar authentication is mandatory for over 105.1 million Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries to avail the subsidy on cooking gas. Under the PMUY, a beneficiary gets up to seven LPG refills in a financial year even without e-KYC. Thus, the refill supply is not interrupted for the want of e-KYC.

A beneficiary has to get biometric Aadhaar authentication done to avail over seven refills in a particular financial year. A PMUY beneficiary is required to do e-KYC once in a financial year.

The PMUY was launched in May 2016 to provide deposit free LPG connection to adult women from poor households. In 2022, the government started a targeted subsidy of ₹200 per 14.2 kg cylinder (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 kg connections) to the PMUY consumers, which was subsequently increased to ₹300 per 14.2 kg cylinder (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 kg connections), to make LPG more affordable to PMUY consumers and ensure sustained usage.

Energy supply disruptions due to the war in West Asia have hit LPG supplies. The OMCs on March 7 raised cooking gas prices by ₹60 per 14.2 kg cylinder, taking the price of domestic LPG cylinders in Delhi to ₹913. For PMUY beneficiaries, it costs ₹613 in Delhi.

Industry executives say the rate increase reflects a partial transmission of the impact caused by an energy supply crunch in West Asia after the war disrupted tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz.

“For FY 2025-26, the Government is providing a targeted subsidy of ₹300 per cylinder for up to 9 refills of 14.2 Kg cylinders per annum (proportionately pro-rated for 5 Kg connections),” minister of state for petroleum Suresh Gopi told the Rajya Sabha on March 9.

On August 8 last year, the Union Cabinet approved targeted subsidy of ₹300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to nine refills per year (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 kg cylinder) to the beneficiaries of PMUY during 2025-26 at an expenditure of ₹12,000 crore.