Ujjwala Yojana Diwali Free Cylinder: Ujjwala beneficiaries get free gas cylinder on Diwali, know how to get subsidy and refill.

To spread happiness in the kitchens of poor and rural families on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, governments are gifting free LPG gas cylinders to the eligible beneficiaries of ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY). In states like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as per the election promises and cabinet policy decisions, the provision of providing completely free gas cylinders to Ujjwala beneficiaries twice a year – on the occasion of Diwali and Holi – is in force. The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a special budget of thousands of crores of rupees for crores of Ujjwala families for this festive phase, due to which women are getting direct relief from the rising prices of cooking fuel during the festival. The primary objective of this scheme is to ensure that no poor mother or sister has to deal with the toxic fumes of wood or cow dung cakes while preparing dishes and sweets during festivals. However, it is important to note that the benefit of ‘free cylinder’ is not directly available at home without paying money, rather it works through the government’s transparent Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. While taking the cylinder, the consumer has to pay the fixed retail rate, after which the entire amount along with the regular subsidy of the Center and the contribution of the State Government is returned to the bank account of the beneficiary. If a beneficiary’s banking or biometric formalities remain incomplete, they may be deprived of this benefit.

There is a definite and transparent mathematics of financial participation of the Central Government and the State Government in the system of free cylinders. When a Ujjwala beneficiary receives a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder from a gas agency or hawker, the process is completed as follows: Firstly, at the time of delivery the consumer has to pay the full fixed market rate of the cylinder (e.g. approximately ₹983 or regional rate) to the gas distributing agency in cash or online. After this, the direct central subsidy of ₹ 300 to ₹ 335 given by the Central Government under the Ujjwala scheme is credited to the bank account of the beneficiary. Immediately thereafter, the entire remaining amount (approximately ₹648 to ₹650) is transferred by the state government directly from the state treasury to the same bank account through the oil marketing companies (OMCs – IOCL, BPCL, HPCL). Thus, by combining both the payments, every penny given to the consumer is returned to his account and the cylinder becomes practically 100% ‘free’.

The financial benefit of the free cylinder is automatically credited to the account of only those consumers who fulfill the following three primary conditions as decided by the Petroleum Ministry and State Governments:

1. Active PM Ujjwala Connection: The gas connection of the consumer must be registered under ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY). General Domestic Non-Ujjwala Connection holders are not eligible for this festive free scheme.

2. Completion of Aadhaar Biometric e-KYC: It is mandatory for the beneficiary woman’s biometric or face-authentication e-KYC to be fully verified and updated in the records of oil companies (Indane, Bharat Gas, HP Gas). Subsidy of consumers whose KYC is incomplete is immediately put on hold.

3. Aadhaar-seeded and DBT enabled bank account (Aadhaar Seeding & NPCI Mapping): The beneficiary’s bank account should be linked to Aadhaar on the mapper of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) so that the DBT amount sent by the government can be transferred to the account without any technical interruption.

No new special form or separate application is required to avail this Diwali free refill. Registered beneficiaries simply have to use their regular booking medium:

• Step 1 (Make Gas Booking): Register your 14.2 kg refill booking through your respective gas company’s official toll-free number, IVRS, missed call service, WhatsApp number or respective mobile app (like IndianOil ONE, Hello BPCL or HP Pay app) from your registered mobile number.

• Step 2 (Delivery and Payment): When the LPG delivery hawker brings the cylinder to your address, pay him the actual price recorded on the gas slip (cash memo) and complete the delivery by sharing the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC).

• Step 3 (Handle Cash Memos and Receipts): Be sure to obtain an official computerized cash memo receipt from the delivery person and keep it safe.

• Step 4 (Check Bank Account Balance): Central and state government subsidy refunds are credited to your DBT-linked bank account within 3 to 7 working days of delivery confirmation. Confirm the amount by making an entry in your passbook or through SMS alert from the bank.

If you have booked and taken the cylinder but even after several days have not received the subsidy amount of the free cylinder in your account, then immediately take the following corrective steps:

• Check KYC status by visiting gas agency: Immediately go to the office of your gas distributor agency and complete your e-KYC there again by putting a thumb impression on the POS biometric machine or through face scanning.

• NPCI DBT mapping check in bank: Visit your bank branch and confirm with the bank manager whether your bank account is linked to Aadhaar as ‘Active DBT’ or not. If the account is inoperative or frozen, get it activated immediately.

• Ujjwala Helpline Contact: If the payment is pending despite all the documents being in order, contact the official toll-free helpline number of Ujjwala Yojana 14438 Or customer care number of the Ministry of Petroleum 1906 Call and lodge a complaint by entering your booking and consumer number. Do not pay any additional commission or fee in the name of the scheme to any broker or unauthorized person.