The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has issued very important guidelines for crores of consumers using domestic cooking gas (LPG). Under the new rules announced by the government, it has been made mandatory to do Biometric Aadhaar Authentication (BAA) to book domestic LPG refill at a discounted rate (Regulated Retail Selling Price) and get subsidy directly in the bank account from October 1, 2026. If a consumer does not complete his e-KYC and biometric verification process by the due date, he will stop getting the subsidized cylinder and will have to pay the market rate for refill. Why did the government make biometric authentication mandatory? According to the ministry, the main objective of this strict step is to make the subsidy distribution system 100 percent transparent and targeted. In several investigations, it was found that 14.2 kg domestic gas cylinders available at subsidized rates were being diverted illegally for commercial and industrial activities on a large scale. Moreover, there were multiple fake or duplicate connections running on the same address. Each gas connection will be authentically linked to its actual consumer through biometric Aadhaar authentication. This will completely curb middlemen and fake connections and the subsidy amount given from the government treasury will reach only genuine and needy families. 89.9% consumers have already done verification, who needs it? According to official data shared by the Petroleum Ministry, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers in the country (about 89.9 per cent of the total) have already successfully completed their biometric verification. The government has clarified that consumers who have already done e-KYC at their gas agency or during delivery, do not need to do anything again. Their cylinder booking and subsidy will continue as usual. This new order is binding only for those 10.1 percent consumers whose biometric e-KYC is still pending. 3 easy ways to get biometric e-KYC done at home or by visiting the agency For the convenience of consumers, oil marketing companies (IOCL, BPCL and HPCL) have provided many convenient options to complete this process: At the time of cylinder delivery (doorstep verification): When the hawker or delivery man brings the refill cylinder to your home, you can get the biometric verification done immediately through your fingerprint or face scan through the POS machine near him or the official mobile app of the company. By visiting Gas Agency Showroom: Consumers can visit their nearest LPG Distributor (Gas Agency) office, produce their Gas Passbook/Consumer Number and Aadhaar details and complete the process within a few moments by placing their thumb impression on the biometric machine. Do self e-KYC through smartphone app: Customers can use the app of their respective company to complete the process from their mobile sitting at home: Indane Consumer: IndianOil ONE App Bharatgas Consumer: HelloBPCL App HP Gas Consumer: HP PAY App (Note: To complete e-KYC through face scan from the app, it is necessary to have UIDAI's Aadhaar FaceRD app installed in the phone.) What are the options for consumers who do not want to get verified? The Ministry has also clarified that consumers who do not undergo biometric authentication will not be completely deprived of gas supply. Consumers who do not want to undergo biometric verification for any reason can register their disagreement through the company's web portal, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot or IVRS. Such consumers will be provided small cylinders of 5 kg or 10 kg at the prevailing market price without any subsidy, depending on local availability. However, to avail the subsidy and concessional price on normal 14.2 kg domestic cylinder, it will be mandatory to undergo biometric verification before October 1. For any assistance or complaint, consumers can contact LPG's official toll-free helpline number 1800 2333 555.
