LPG Cylinders: LPG stands for Liquified Petroleum Gas, and it is a flammable gas that is mainly used for cooking purposes. LPG cylinders serve as the primary form of cooking gas for most Indian households. As per the records of 2017-18, more than 27 crores of LPG consumers are in India, which forms 20% of the total population. LPG has become an essential part of our lives, and its demand is rising with the increasing population.
In India, LPG cylinders are subsidized, which means a part of the money paid for the cylinder by the consumer is paid back to him/her by the state or central government. To get the subsidy amount, the consumer should have a bank account that is to be linked to his/her Aadhaar card. In the process, the consumer has to buy the LPG cylinder at market price and later, the government deposits the subsidy amount into the consumer’s bank account. The Central Government started the subsidy of LPG cylinder on 1st June 2013. At an initial stage, the consumers were offered 9 subsidized cylinders. But later, in 2014, the Central Government decided to raise the subsidized cylinders from 9 to 12 in quantity.
This article will discuss in detail LPG subsidy, how to link the Aadhaar card, how does LPG subsidy works and more.
Capping & Process To Get LPG Subsidy
LPG subsidy is a scheme of the government to reduce the price of cooking gas and provide it to the consumers at a reasonable price. Each LPG consumer has to link his/her Aadhaar card to the LPG connection to get the amount of subsidy. Earlier in 2012, the Government of India had capped or limited the supply of subsidized cylinders to 6 annually. Later in January 2013, it was increased from 6-9 in quantity. Again in the year 2014, the cabinet decided to increase the supply of subsidized cylinders from 9 to12 annually.
Now a question arises as to how to get LPG subsidy? The answer to this is very simple, and a person can get the subsidy amount directly into his/her bank account if he has the following documents:
- Aadhaar Card.
- Bank Account that is linked to Aadhaar card.
- Bank account with Aadhaar number linked to the LPG consumer number.
The whole process of linking bank account with Aadhaar and LPG consumer number is called seeding of Aadhaar.
Aadhaar And Its Importance
Aadhaar translates to “foundation” in English. It is a unique 12 digit number, which is given to every Indian citizen. Aadhaar serves as the first identity proof of any Indian. In the past few years, Aadhaar has emerged as a vital identification proof almost everywhere. From buying a sim to buying a car everywhere, Aadhaar is a must. The Unique Identification Authority of India or UIDAI is the department responsible for the issue to Aadhaar to the residents of India. The sole purpose of the introduction of Aadhaar was to eliminate fake identities and documents from the government databases. Mentioned below are some key features of Aadhaar:
- The first and the most important thing about Aadhaar is that it is not a smart card, but it is a unique number provided to each of the bearers.
- Under Aadhaar, the uniqueness of each beneficiary is determined with the help of biometrics which includes, fingerprints, retinal scan, and photograph. The Aadhaar also provides address details of a person it makes it easier for identification. Thus make sure you are providing correct information on your Aadhar card. However, if there is any mismatch in your address, then you can apply for an Aadhar card address correction and get the details updated.
- Enrollment under Aadhaar is not age-based, as in voter Id card or PAN card. Any Indian citizen, including infants, can enrol themselves under Aadhaar. Even Non-Residents of India and foreigners residing in India can also enrol themselves under Aadhaar.
- The enrolment of Aadhaar is free, and no fee is charged from the citizens for registration.
- Once registered, Aadhaar remains for a lifetime. It never expires.
- The Aadhaar Number helps a person to get access various services, including banking, mobile network services, and other government and non-government services.
How To Link LPG Consumer Number To Aadhaar Number
To get an LPG subsidy, one has to link the Aadhar number to the LPG consumer number. To link Aadhaar to LPG consumer number, one has to fulfill two main requirements:
- One has to get an Aadhhar Number.
- He/she should have a bank account linked to the Aadhaar number.
There are various ways through which a person can link his/her Aadhaar number to an LPG consumer number. Here, we will discuss each procedure in detail.
Linking Aadhaar to LPG through an Online Portal
One of the easiest and simple ways to link LPG consumer numbers to Aadhaar is through the online portal. Here are the steps that one can follow to do the same:
- Open the website https://rasf.uidai.gov.in/seeding/User/ResidentSelfSeedingpds.aspx and fill in all the required information.
- Select benefit type as “LPG” as you want to link your Aadhaar.
- Now you have to enter your LPG connection name, for example, BPCL for Bharat Gas connection.
- In this step, you have to select your LPG distributor name and enter your consumer number.
- Now, enter your mobile number, e-mail address, and Aadhaar number and click submit.
- Once you have submitted the details, you will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number and e-mail address.
- Enter the OTP and click submit. Once the submission is completed, all your documents will be verified, and you will be notified by the authority.
Linking Aadhaar Through Distributor: One can also link his/her Aadhaar number with an LPG number with the help of the distributor. For doing the same, one needs to follow the steps mentioned below:
- First, you have to download the subsidy application form from the website of your LPG provider. For example, if you have an LPG connection with Indane, you can download the subsidy form from the Indane website.
- Next, take a printout of the form and fill in all the necessary details such as the Aadhaar number, LPG consumer number, address, mobile number and e-mail address.
- Now, go to the nearest LPG dealer and submit the form, your application will be processed, and you will be notified.
Linking Aadhaar Through IVRS: To help their customers link Aadhaar with their LPG consumer number, most LPG service providers have developed an IVRS or Interactive Voice Response System. Every district and LPG service provider has different IVRS numbers. One can call on the IVRS portal of their respective LPG service provider and link their Aadhaar by following the IVR instructions.
Linking Aadhaar SMS: You can easily link your Aadhaar with your LPG consumer number by sending an SMS. For this, you have to first link your mobile number to your LPG connection with the dealer’s help. After successful registration of your mobile number, you can send an SMS to link your Aadhaar to your LPG connection.
Linking Aadhaar Via Post: One can also link Aadhaar via post. For this, you need to download the form from the official website of your LPG service provider. Once you have downloaded the form, take a printout of it and fill in all the necessary details. After filling in all the details, send the form with the required documents to the address mentioned in the form.
Linking Aadhaar Through Call centres: One can easily link their Aadhaar with their LPG consumer number by calling 18000-2333-555 and following the operator’s instructions.
How Does The LPG Subsidy Work?
LPG has emerged as an important part of many households in India. The Government has taken the initiative of LPG subsidy to provide the consumers with LPG cylinders at a reasonable cost. Following are the points that will help us to understand how LPG subsidy works:
- When a consumer books his/her first subsidized LPG cylinder, he/she is entitled to an advance payment in his/her bank account. It is done to reduce the burden on the consumer to get their first LPG cylinder.
- Once the first cylinder is delivered, the subsidy amount of that cylinder will be credited into the bank account of the consumer to support the purchase of the subsequent cylinder.
- The amount of LPG subsidy is directly credited to the consumer’s bank account by the National Payment Corporation of India or NPCI.
Conclusion on LPG Cylinders
LPG serves as an essential source of cooking gas in every household of India. Buying an LPG cylinder is not possible for everyone. To support and encourage the buying of LPG cylinders among the weaker sections, the government introduced the policy of subsidized LPG cylinders. The subsidy provided on the LPG cylinders helps financially weak consumers to buy the cylinder and avail eco-friendly cooking gas.