New Delhi : Consumers of LPG (cooking gas) across the country will get cash subsidy directly into their bank accounts from today so that they buy the cooking fuel at the market price.
Domestic LPG users will get 568 rupees in the bank account the moment they join the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG, which has now been renamed PAHAL.
They will have to use this money to buy 14.2-kg refill at the market price.
Currently, the subsidised LPG costs 417 rupees per 14.2-kg cylinder, while a market-priced refill costs 752 rupees in Delhi.
The ambitious plan was launched in June 2013, but abruptly stopped earlier last year following court orders, on the issue of requirement of unique identification number (Aadhaar) for availing the cash subsidy.
Now, the scheme has been modified to exclude the requirement of Aadhaar for availing the cash subsidy.
Consumers who wish to join the scheme will have to either link their Aadhaar number into their bank account and their LPG consumer number.
If they do not possess the Aadhaar number, they will have to link their bank account directly with their 17 digit LPG Id.
The scheme was rolled out in 54 districts from November 15, 2014 and will be extended to 676 districts of the country from today.
Under the scheme, LPG consumers will get cash subsidy to buy twelve 14.2 kilogram cylinders or 34 five-kg refills. world’s largest direct benefit transfer scheme will cover over 15.3 crore consumers across 676 districts of the country.
Currently over 6.5 crore consumers have already joined the scheme and receiving subsidy in their bank account.
