Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that oil marketing companies are undertaking eKYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) Aadhaar authentication for LPG customers to identify and eliminate bogus accounts, which are often used by gas distributors to book commercial cylinders. The Minister clarified on Tuesday that there is no deadline for this mustering activity, either by the Oil Marketing Companies or by the Central Government.
Puri responded through a social media post to a request by the Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, VD Satheesan, who raised concerns in a letter on Monday about the difficulties caused by the current system, which requires LPG consumers to complete an e-KYC Aadhaar mustering process at gas agencies.
"The decision to mandate LPG mustering at gas agencies is causing unprecedented hardship to the common man. I write to the Union Minister to take necessary steps to alleviate the inconvenience caused by the LPG mustering," said VD Satheesan on Monday.
In response, Minister Puri reiterated that oil marketing companies are conducting eKYC Aadhaar authentication for LPG customers to remove bogus accounts, against whose names commercial cylinders are often booked by certain gas distributors. He added that this process has been in place for more than eight months and was initiated to prevent the misuse of subsidized cylinders.
During the LPG mustering process, the cylinder delivery personnel verify customer credentials upon delivery. Using a mobile app, the personnel capture the customer's Aadhaar credentials, and the customer receives an OTP to complete the process. Customers can also visit the distributor showroom at their convenience or use OMC apps to complete the e-KYC process independently.
Furthermore, Minister Puri stated that oil companies are issuing a clarification to the press to assure customers and ensure that no genuine consumer faces any hardship or inconvenience.