LPG delivery boys to carry biometric devices for doorstep Aadhaar re-check

KOLKATA: Now the re-authentication of biometric credentials of LPG domestic consumers will be carried out at consumers’ doorsteps, with 70%-80% of delivery personnel having been supplied with biometric authentication devices. “This will ease the pressure at the distributors’ end where consumers are making long queues to get their Aadhaar re-authenticated. Moreover, the deliverymen will do this while making doorstep delivery of LPG cylinders,” said a senior oil marketing company (OMC) official.

The OMCs, meanwhile, clarified that the biometric authentication of LPG domestic consumers is being done by OMCs now to authenticate the Aadhaar submitted. “There is no such information that the subsidy will be discontinued or the gas connection will be terminated. The exercise is only aimed at authenticating the Aadhaar given by customers using subsidised LPG. Customers are being requested to cooperate and get their biometric authentication done,” said an official.

The authentication process is often interrupted by technical glitches like server failure. People often get panic-driven that if they don’t complete this authentication process then it may lead to termination of the gas connection. But OMC officials confirmed that such fear has no basis.

“There is no such specific deadline for this biometric authentication. But we have to complete it in a time-bound manner. So, our focus is on the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). After this, other subsidy holders will be authenticated,” said an OMC official.

Bengal has around 2.6 crore domestic consumers. A large section of them still enjoys the subsidy. It is impossible to re-authenticate the biometric credentials of these consumers, added the official. “However, LPG cylinder distributors visit each of these households periodically. If they can authenticate by checking the biometric credentials, the job can be completed fast,” he said.

The government subsidises a portion of the LPG price. This is done by transferring the subsidy directly to bank accounts of users. Beneficiaries then use this money to buy LPG at market price. In case of PMUY consumers living below the poverty line, the subsidy amount is around Rs 300. For other consumers in Kolkata, the amount is Rs 19.57.

India Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), being the largest of the OMCs, has the highest market share in Bengal. Out of a total of 2.6 crore LPG domestic consumers in Bengal, IOCL alone has 1.5 crore consumers. The other two OMCs — HP and BPC — have 60 lakh and 53 lakh consumers, respectively. IOC’s PMUY consumer base is 65 lakh.

OMCs have also clarified that nothing else is linked to this biometric authentication. If any delivery man or distributor representative tries to sell any goods or services making it part of the biometric authentication, one must refuse it and lodge a formal complaint with the distributor.