New Delhi: In a major move aimed at curbing leakages and streamlining the delivery of government benefits, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has announced that biometric Aadhaar authentication (BAA) will be mandatory for domestic LPG consumers to receive subsidised cylinder refills starting October 1, 2026.
The government on Saturday clarified that this mandatory step seeks to prevent the illegal diversion of subsidised domestic cylinders for commercial and industrial use, while simultaneously eliminating duplicate and ineligible connections. The overarching goal is to ensure that thousands of crores in cooking gas subsidies reach only genuine and eligible households.
According to the petroleum ministry, a significant majority of consumers are already compliant. As of September 19, over 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers—which translates to nearly 89.9 per cent of the total user base—had successfully completed their biometric Aadhaar authentication. The ministry stated that these consumers are not required to take any further action and their subsidised refills will continue without interruption.
For the remaining consumers, subsidised refill bookings will only be enabled once the authentication process is completed. However, failure to complete the BAA will not result in the disconnection of the LPG service. Consumers who are unwilling or unable to authenticate their Aadhaar can still receive LPG cylinders at the applicable market price, without any subsidy. Such consumers will need to register their preference through the digital channels of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), and they will also have the option to receive 5-kg or 10-kg cylinders.
The government has made the authentication process highly accessible. Consumers can complete the BAA on the spot during a refill delivery using the delivery personnel’s mobile application. Alternatively, the authentication can be completed at the distributor’s showroom or entirely from home via the respective OMC mobile apps: IndianOil ONE for Indane, HelloBPCL for Bharatgas, and HP PAY for HP Gas customers.
This stringent measure comes against the backdrop of massive financial subsidies borne by the central government to keep domestic cooking gas affordable. The petroleum ministry highlighted that the implicit subsidy for September 2026 stood at approximately Rs 210 per 14.2-kg cylinder, down from a peak of Rs 721 in June.
Despite the government compensating state-owned OMCs with Rs 30,000 crore annually for the current and upcoming fiscal years, the accumulated under-recoveries on domestic LPG exceeded a staggering Rs 62,000 crore by the end of August 2026. The government hopes this targeted authentication drive will significantly reduce these financial leakages.