Overview
- The Union Petroleum Ministry has told state oil companies to stop subsidised LPG refills for domestic connections that have not completed biometric Aadhaar authentication, with blocked accounts to be reactivated once verification is done.
- The ministry said roughly 3.16 crore connections remained unverified as of September 14 and that, as of September 19, 27.43 crore active domestic consumers had completed biometric authentication.
- Households that refuse or cannot complete biometric eKYC will still get LPG but must buy it at the market price without any subsidy, and distributors will record customers’ choice through apps, IVRS or written notice.
- Companies and distributors are using biometric handheld devices during delivery, distributor showrooms, and OMC mobile apps and portals to complete the free authentication drive after months of SMS, camps and outreach.
- Officials justify the step as a way to stop diversion, remove duplicate or ineligible connections, and reduce large implicit under‑recoveries that have required major government compensation to state oil marketing companies.