October 31, 2011 By Prabhu M DC Hyderabad
The pilot project to study the feasibility of cash transfer for LPG subsidy in Hyderabad by linking Aadhaar numbers and LPG gas connections has not gone smoothly.
The Unique Identification Authority of India and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas selected Padma Gas Agency, Madhu Gas Service and Mahalaxmi Gas Agency to conduct the pilot and requested their customers to submit their Aadhaar numbers before October 31 this year.
But, out of the one lakh LPG connections with the three agencies, hardly three per cent of customers have submitted their Aadhaar number, while the rest have got neither their Aadhaar number nor their enrolment number despite registering months ago.
UIDAI has completed 3.6 crore enrolments in the state, but it has managed to issue only 53 lakh Aadhaar numbers, which constitutes hardly 15 per cent of the total enrolments.
The blame game continues between UIDAI, gas agents and petroleum companies. With such a lukewarm response from the public, it is impossible to go ahead with the project.
“If UIDAI gives an appointment to customers at a later date for enrolling, then we cannot conduct the pilot since it delays the whole process,” said B. Madhavi, proprietor of Madhu Gas Agency.
K. Srinivas Rao, chief regional manager (LPG), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, said that they need at least 70 per cent response to proceed any further with the study.
The Unique Identification Authority of India and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas selected Padma Gas Agency, Madhu Gas Service and Mahalaxmi Gas Agency to conduct the pilot and requested their customers to submit their Aadhaar numbers before October 31 this year.
But, out of the one lakh LPG connections with the three agencies, hardly three per cent of customers have submitted their Aadhaar number, while the rest have got neither their Aadhaar number nor their enrolment number despite registering months ago.
UIDAI has completed 3.6 crore enrolments in the state, but it has managed to issue only 53 lakh Aadhaar numbers, which constitutes hardly 15 per cent of the total enrolments.
The blame game continues between UIDAI, gas agents and petroleum companies. With such a lukewarm response from the public, it is impossible to go ahead with the project.
“If UIDAI gives an appointment to customers at a later date for enrolling, then we cannot conduct the pilot since it delays the whole process,” said B. Madhavi, proprietor of Madhu Gas Agency.
K. Srinivas Rao, chief regional manager (LPG), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, said that they need at least 70 per cent response to proceed any further with the study.