The Central Government has taken a very big and important decision regarding subsidized domestic LPG Cylinder. According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Biometric Aadhaar Authentication has been made completely mandatory for booking subsidized domestic LPG refills from October 1, 2026. It is a matter of relief that about 27.43 crore i.e. 89.9 percent customers of the country have already completed this authentication, who no longer need to do anything further. If customers wish, they can easily complete this process at the time of delivery, by visiting the distributor's showroom or through the mobile app of OMC.
The government on Saturday clarified that from October 1, domestic LPG customers will have to undergo biometric Aadhaar verification to book gas refills at subsidized prices. The main objective of the government is to ensure that the subsidy money on cooking gas reaches only the right and genuine families.
Biometric Aadhaar Authentication and the real reason behind it
Customers who have already completed their authentication do not need to panic at all. According to data from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, as of September 19, a total of 27.43 crore active domestic LPG customers in the country (i.e. 89.9 percent share) had completed the biometric Aadhaar authentication. The ministry has made it clear in its statement that for those who have not yet completed the process, subsidized refill booking will be started again as soon as they complete their authentication.
The biggest objective of this strict step taken by the government is to stop illegal diversion of subsidized domestic cylinders for commercial and industrial use. Also, this will permanently eliminate duplicate and ineligible connections sitting in the system.
Complete authentication like this while sitting at home or at the time of delivery
Customers have many easy options to complete this process. If you want, you can do this at the time of LPG delivery, by visiting the showroom of your local distributor, or through the official mobile apps of government oil companies. For this, Indane customers IndianOil ONEBharatgas customers HelloBPCL And HP Gas customers HP PAY Can use the app.
Those who do not want to get biometric authentication done or are unable to get it done for some reason will also continue to get LPG gas, but for this they will have to pay the applicable market price without subsidy. Such customers will have to inform their preferences through OMC's digital channels—such as website, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot and IVRS. They may get smaller cylinders of 5-kg or 10-kg depending on local availability. Let us tell you that the government had earlier fixed June 30 as the deadline for completing this work, which was later extended to July 31, August 7, August 15, August 23, August 31, September 7 and finally September 14.
Complete mathematics of more than 12 crore messages and subsidy
This big authentication campaign is being run continuously across the country from October 2023. More than 12 crore SMS and WhatsApp messages have been sent so far by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) of the country. Apart from this, people are being continuously reached out through distributors, delivery staff, special camps and IVRS prompts.
The government is providing huge financial assistance to keep domestic LPG affordable for the general public. According to the ministry data, the hidden subsidy on a 14.2 kg cylinder was around Rs 210 in September 2026, while it was Rs 721 in the month of June. The government had given Rs 22,000 crore to state-owned oil companies to compensate for the losses on domestic LPG in the year 2022-23, and now Rs 30,000 crore is being given every year during 2025-26 and 2026-27. Despite this huge financial support, the 'under-recovery' (difference between cost and selling price) for domestic LPG accumulated on government OMCs has exceeded Rs 62,000 crore by August 31, 2026.
Rules will change from October 1 and helpline number released
Due to this new verification requirement, there will be a clear distinction between subsidized LPG and market-priced LPG from October 1. Households seeking subsidy benefits will be required to complete Biometric Aadhaar Authentication (BAA) before booking their next gas refill, so that they do not lose their entitlement to the fixed subsidized price.
The main objective of the government and oil companies is to deliver subsidies to the right and needy people and to completely eliminate leakages. For this, they are ensuring that every subsidized connection is linked to an Aadhaar verified customer. Those who have not yet completed this process, must complete it before October 1 through online, distributor or delivery channels. For any kind of assistance, the government has officially LPG Service Helpline Number 1800 2333 555 Has been released.