State-owned oil companies are employing Aadhaar-based eKYC authentication to verify LPG customers and tackle the issue of fraudulent accounts, as stated by Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The initiative aims to detect and eliminate instances where residential LPG connections are misused for commercial purposes.
According to Puri, “Oil marketing companies have been implementing eKYC Aadhaar authentication for LPG customers to weed out fake accounts where commercial cylinders are wrongly booked by certain distributors.” He emphasized that this process has been operational for over eight months.
Puri responded to concerns raised by V D Satheesan, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, regarding the challenges faced by common citizens due to these measures. Satheesan highlighted the inconvenience caused by the mandatory verification process conducted at gas agencies.
In reply, Puri explained that during LPG delivery, personnel use mobile apps to capture Aadhaar details of customers, who receive an OTP to complete the authentication. Customers also have the option to visit distributor showrooms or use oil company apps for self-verification.
He clarified, “There is no specific deadline imposed by either oil marketing companies or the central government for this process. It is also clarified that there is no requirement for physical ‘mustering’ of customers at distributorship showrooms.”
Additionally, Puri assured that oil companies are actively addressing concerns through press releases to reassure customers and ensure minimal inconvenience to genuine consumers.
India currently has 32.64 crore active domestic LPG users, with households purchasing domestic LPG cylinders at Rs 803 per 14.2-kg cylinder, while commercial establishments are mandated to use 19-kg commercial cylinders priced at Rs 1,646 each.
