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Today, August 16, is a very important day for more than 30 crore domestic LPG consumers across the country. According to the strict guidelines issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the three major public oil marketing companies of the country – Indian Oil (Indane), Bharat Petroleum (Bharat Gas) and Hindustan Petroleum (HP Gas), there is going to be a major change in the distribution and subsidy rules of LPG cylinders from 12:00 midnight tonight.
If you have not completed the mandatory Biometric e-KYC and Aadhaar authentication process of your gas connection, your gas connection may be listed as ‘suspended’ or ‘temporarily deactivated’ from tomorrow morning. This simply means that you will not be able to book a new cylinder and the government subsidy coming into your bank account may stop forever, due to which you will have to buy expensive cylinders directly at the market price.
LPG Biometric e-KYC: Why did the government and oil companies take this strict step?
Public sector oil companies and the Central Government have launched this intensive digital verification campaign to completely stop the increasing misuse of domestic LPG cylinders, fake connections and black marketing of subsidies.
In fact, in many cities and towns across the country, it was revealed that domestic subsidies were being availed in the name of many non-verified and inactive connections, while at many places, domestic cylinders were being illegally diverted to hotels, dhabas and commercial activities. To prevent this leakage, the Ministry had given clear instructions that every consumer will have to register Aadhaar-linked biometric identification so that the subsidy benefit reaches only the genuine consumer. Today, on August 16, the deadline for this verification process is ending.
August 16 deadline: What will be the loss if e-KYC is not done?
After the expiry of the deadline, non-verified consumers will be directly affected.
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Cylinder Booking Block: There will be an immediate ban on accepting new bookings on such connections from the central software of petroleum companies. When you try to book through IVRS, WhatsApp or mobile app, the system will show you the error ‘KYC Incomplete’.
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Immediate stop on subsidies: The subsidy amount coming into the account under Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL / Pahal Scheme) will be blocked.
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Payment at market rates: Even if delivery is permitted under special circumstances, the consumer will have to pay the full non-subsidized commercial rate.
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Danger of connection cancellation: If biometric verification is not done continuously for the stipulated time, the gas distributor company can completely deactivate the connection of that consumer.
Subsidy and gas prices: Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries will have direct impact
Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), more than 10 crore poor families of the country are sent an additional subsidy of ₹ 300 per cylinder directly into their bank accounts by the Central Government. Apart from this, some relief is also given to general consumers state wise.
After midnight of 16th August, the subsidy of those Ujjwala beneficiaries whose biometric matching is not done will be stopped with immediate effect. This would mean that even poor families would have to buy the entire cylinder by paying ₹800 to ₹900 (depending on regional rates) in cash. Therefore, oil companies have warned Ujjwala beneficiaries, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, to complete KYC today by visiting their nearest gas agency and giving a thumb or iris scan.
How to do LPG e-KYC in 5 minutes from mobile app sitting at home?
If you want to avoid gas agency trips and long queues, you can complete e-KYC from home through Aadhaar Face Authentication using your smartphone before 12 midnight today.
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step 1: First of all, download and install the official app ‘AadhaarFaceRD’ of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
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Step 2: After this, download the official app of your respective gas company (for Indane IndianOil ONEfor HP HP Payfor Bharat Gas Hello BPCL) download.
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Step 3: Log in to the app with your registered mobile number. If first time user, create new account by entering consumer number and distributor code.
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Step 4: Go to the home screen and go to the ‘LPG’ section and click on the option of ‘e-KYC’ or ‘Aadhaar Verification’.
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Step 5: Enter your 12 digit Aadhaar card number. An OTP will come on the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar, enter it and verify.
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Step 6: Now the face authentication camera will open on the screen. Hold your face in direct light and blink as directed.
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Step 7: As soon as the face matches, the message ‘e-KYC Completed Successfully’ will appear on the screen and your gas connection will be secure forever.
Easy way of offline verification by going to gas agency
If you do not have a smartphone, mobile number is not updated in Aadhaar or there is a fingerprint problem, then immediately go to your local gas agency (distributor office).
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Carry with you your original Aadhar Card, Gas Consumer Passbook (SV/Consumer Book) and active mobile number.
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Your live verification will be done through biometric fingerprint scanner (POS machine) or iris scanner at the counter of the gas agency.
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The agency staff will approve your KYC in the system as soon as they take your thumb impression. For this, gas agencies are not allowed to charge any extra fee from consumers.
New security rules for Delivery Authentication Code (DAC)
Strict monitoring is also being implemented in the delivery system from tonight. Now the hawker or delivery boy will not be able to handover the cylinder to you without sharing the ‘Delivery Authentication Code’ (DAC).
When you book a cylinder, a 4 or 6 digit secret code (OTP) will be sent to your registered mobile number. When the cylinder reaches your home, it will be mandatory for you to enter that code in the delivery person’s machine. In case of wrong code being given or no code being given, the cylinder will go back to the depot. This arrangement will ensure that the cylinder is received by the same person in whose name the connection is registered.
Check your status instantly: Is your gas connection safe?
If you are in doubt whether your e-KYC is already complete or not, visit the mylpg.in portal. There select your gas company (Indane, Bharat or HP) and click on ‘View Cylinder Booking History’ or ‘Check KYC Status’.
If ‘KYC Verified – Green’ is visible in the status, then there is no need to panic. But if ‘Action Required’ or ‘Pending’ is written there, then definitely complete your verification through the online or offline methods mentioned above before 12 midnight on 16th August, so that in future your kitchen stove keeps burning without any interruption.