NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday clarified that biometric Aadhaar authentication is required only for LPG consumers who have yet to complete their eKYC authentication.The clarification came following media reports that LPG distributors had made biometric Aadhaar authentication mandatory for consumers seeking refills of their domestic LPG cylinders amid disruptions in supplies due to the conflict in West Asia.
The ministry also recently posted on social media that consumers can complete the verification process from the comfort of their homes using the mobile apps of oil marketing companies and Aadhaar FaceRD on their smartphones.In a recent statement, the petroleum ministry said the directions for biometric Aadhaar authentication were not new and that it was an ongoing exercise. “The recent post by the ministry is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to encourage more LPG consumers to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication,” the ministry said.
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It added that the requirement of eKYC applies to those LPG consumers who have not yet completed biometric Aadhaar authentication. The ministry said that customers who are not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and have already completed biometric Aadhaar authentication do not have to repeat it.“PMUY customers need to do it only once every financial year, and that too only for receiving targeted DBT subsidies after seven refills, i.e., on the 8th and 9th refills,” the statement read. The ministry clarified that the supply of refills is not affected in any case and that eKYC can be done easily from home, free of cost.“The eKYC ensures transparency, establishes clear eligibility, weeds out ghost consumers, and discourages diversion of LPG,” the ministry said.
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