DC | 02nd Jun 2013
Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, MP G.S. Basavaraj and UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani at the launch of Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG customers’ scheme, at Siddaganga Institute of Technology in Tumkur on Saturday —KPN
Tumkur: Minister for petroleum and natural gas Veerappa Moily launched the Aadhaar-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of LPG subsidy scheme here on Saturday.
It will benefit more than 2.57 lakh consumers in Tumkur and over 73 lakh customers across 18 districts, covering eight states and two Union Territories across the country, where the scheme has initially been launched.
Under the scheme, the subsidy amount for domestic LPG cylinders would be transferred directly to the bank accounts of LPG consumers using the Aadhaar platform. The amount is transferred soon after a consumer books a cylinder at any of the public sector oil marketing companies (Indian Oil/HPCL/BPCL) and before the cylinder is delivered.
The consumer should have completed the formalities of registering his Aadhaar number with the LPG distributor and respective bank. Those who have not completed the formalities will get a grace period of three months, till August 31. In fact, the LPG subsidy would be transferred to only those consumers whose Aadhaar cards are linked with LPG distributors and bank accounts.
Consumers who have not registered their Aadhaar card numbers have to get their LPG cylinders at the market price, which is double the present price for a 14.2 kg cylinder. Moily said that the direct transfer scheme would plug leakage and ensure that subsidies reached the intended beneficiaries.
The government hoped to save Rs 8,000-10,000 crore in LPG subsidy annually after the scheme was rolled out all over the country, he said. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the scheme would help reach subsidies to real beneficiaries.
UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani said the authority would cover the entire population in Karnataka, including vulnerable sections of society, migrants, minorities and backward classes, in another nine months. The data centres for collecting Aadhaar card details would be reopened in Karnataka soon, he said.
UIDAI has so far issued Aadhaar cards to 40 crore people in the country and another 35 crore were yet to be covered, he said.