On Tuesday, the government told Parliament that it is taking special steps to ensure transparency in the transfer of subsidies to domestic LPG consumers. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said that the government is making efforts to ensure a transparent and inclusive transfer of subsidy. He revealed this information in a written reply to a starred question in the Rajya Sabha.
Puri said that several initiatives implemented by the government, like the PAHAL (DBTL) scheme, Aadhaar-based verification, biometric authentication, and identification and removal of ineligible or duplicate connections, have significantly strengthened the system of targeted subsidy transfer.
Removing Fake Beneficiaries
According to the news, Puri also said that these initiatives have not only brought transparency in the distribution of subsidies but also ensured that the benefits reach the right consumers by removing fake beneficiaries. He said that to improve consumer empowerment and service transparency, the IVRS/SMS refill booking system has been implemented in all LPG distributors across the country. Under this system, consumers get SMS notifications at key stages such as refill booking, cash memo generation and refill delivery, allowing them to track their transactions and report in case of incorrect or non-receipt.
Delivery Authentication Code
Oil marketing companies (OMCs) have introduced Delivery Authentication Code (DAC), which is sent to the consumer through SMS at the time of cash memo generation and is required to be shared with the delivery personnel at the time of delivery, ensuring authentication.
Marketing Discipline Guidelines
To regulate the distribution of LPG, Puri said that the government has notified the "Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order, 2000". The oil marketing companies have formulated "Marketing Discipline Guidelines" to be followed by LPG distributors. These guidelines provide for punitive action against distributors found indulging in malpractice. In all established cases of irregularities in the marketing of LPG, action is taken as per the provisions of the Marketing Discipline Guidelines or the distributor contract. The government told Parliament that it is taking special steps to ensure transparency in the transfer of subsidies to domestic LPG consumers.
