Bangalore will get introduced to Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for LPG in the month of December. Before that, the consumers of Indane, HP Gas and Bharat Gas need to link their Aadhaar cards to bank accounts and LPG consumer numbers, if they need subsidy.
Nikita Malusare, 20 Sep 2013 , Citizen Matters
The Central government’s ambitious Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme for LPG will be introduced in Bangalore starting December 1, 2013. So, be ready with the entire unsubsidised amount in hand when the gas cylinder arrives at your doorstep. The subsidy amount will reach your bank account later - only for 9 cylinders per year, for one connection.
This scheme is also an answer to the question - “Why do you need an Aadhaar card.” If you wish to receive the subsidised LPG, you need to become a Cash Transfer Compliant Customer (CTC) by linking your Aadhaar number to your bank account and LPG Consumer Number before December 1, 2013.
The DCT scheme aims at reducing black marketing of LPG and misuse of government subsidies by vested interests Pic: Kedar Nadella
In the Phase - V of the DBT roll out, the Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG is being extended to the consumers of Bangalore Urban district, and Phase - VI will see the scheme roll out in Bangalore Rural district.
The customers who are unable or unwilling to register themselves for the scheme before December 1, 2013, will become ineligible for receiving subsidised cooking gas, after a grace period of three months - that is February 28, 2014.
Subsidy for gas will not be given henceforth on direct cash payment. You will have to shell out the market price, while the subsidy will be credited to you via bank.
How to become eligible for subsidy?
First and foremost, you need to have the LPG connection in your name. If it is in the name of any other family member, then they have to follow the below steps - not you.
You, or the one who has LPG connection, should also have an Aadhaar card and a bank account in your/his/her own name. If not, then hurry up now and get it as soon as possible. If you already have an Aadhaar card and a bank account, then follow this procedure:
Step 1: Get the application forms
You need to acquire and fill the bank linking form called as Form 1. It is available on the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas website under the downloads section.
Click on the link, Linking with bank (or click here). Either a form will appear in a new tab or the form will automatically be downloaded. So check your downloads before deciding that the website doesn’t work.
You can also take the forms from your LPG distributor. The full-page newspaper advertisements issued by UIDAI too have the form, which you can cut and use.
Step 2: Link your bank account to Aadhaar card
The consumer under whose name the LPG is registered needs to fill the form. Give the exact 12-digit Aadhaar number in the form. You have to attach a copy of Aadhaar letter/ card when submitting the form to the bank.
The form can be deposited personally at home branch of your bank i.e. where your account is registered. Alternatively, you can also link your Aadhaar Number with your bank account through your distributor. Fill the form “Bank Account – Aadhaar Linkage Form (For LPG Consumer only)” and drop it in “Bank Form Drop Box” kept with your distributor. The forms are also available with your distributor.
If you submit the form personally at bank, an acknowledgment slip will be handed over to you, and you are sure your application is in the safe hands.
Step 3: Get your LPG linked to Aadhaar card
The final step is to link your Aadhaar number with your LPG consumer number. For this, you need to be ready with two things.
1. Name of the distributor
2. Your LPG Consumer Number.
You can find consumer number on your first page of DGCC booklet or on the recent cash memo handed over to you by the delivery boy.
You need to get Form 2 which is available on the same Petroleum and Natural Gas website. Fill it with capital letters using blue or black ink. It needs to be accompanied with two attachments: Copy of the first page of DGCC booklet and recent cash memo.
In case your address mentioned in your Aadhaar letter differs from the address already registered with LPG distributor, you need to attach a photocopy of your address proof.
Address proof can be any of the following:
- Aadhaar (UID) letter
- Lease agreement
- Telephone bill
- Electricity bill utility bill
- Self declaration attested by Gazette Officer
- Flat allotment or Possession letter
- LIC policy
- Driving license
- Voter ID
- Passport
- Ration card
- House registration document.
Please note that before you submit the form, you need to take a combined photocopy of Aadhaar letter and the filled up Form 2.
You are required to place the original Aadhaar letter on the left hand side, while your Form 2 will be on the right side adjacent to it.
The final combined photocopy must have your photo of the Aadhaar letter running on the left side corner with the bar code details.
You have six options for linking your LPG with Aadhaar card.
- Personally hand over the application to distributor. You can also drop the application in the prescribed boxes, in the petrol bunks belonging to the same company as your LPG provider - ie, HP, Indane or Bharath - whichever is yours.
- Post the application: If you don’t wish to go to the distributor's office or to the nearest petrol pump of the same oil company, you can send it by post to the following address:
IOC (Indane Gas): Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (Marketing Division), Indance Area Office, 4th floor, Utility Building, JCW Road, Bangalore 560002, Karnataka.
HPC (HP Gas): Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Bangalore LPG Regional Office, No. 3 & 4, Whitefield Road, Mahadevapura PO, Bangalore, Karnataka - 560048
BPC (Bharat Gas): Bharat Petroleum Corporation LTD. DU PARC Trinity, 7th floor, No. 5, M.G.Road, Bengaluru 560 001
- Call Centre: Call on 1800-2333-555 and follow the instructions to register your Aadhaar number.
- Online: Browse to www.rasf.uidai.gov.in and register yourself by clicking on ‘Start Now’ box, located atthe right side of the page. (However, for reasons unknown, this website was found to be very slow at the time of verifying.)
- IVRS: You can directly call your respective company and follow the instructions of registration.
Indane Gas(IOC): 8970024365
HP Gas (HPC): 9964023456
Bharat Gas (BPC): 9483356789
6. SMS: Registration is just a text away. For this, first, you need to register your number with the Oil Company/ Gas agency. Please note that Bharat Gas customers should register the mobile number before hand. Once their number is registered manually with the authorities they can register their Aadhaar number via text.
For HPC/ IOC customers: REG distributor telephone number with STD code without zero consumer number (e.g. REG 1187654321 564321)
Once the mobile number is registered to LPG consumer number, customers of all the three Oil Companies can link the Aadhaar number via text. You need to type: UID Aadhaar Number (eg. UID 32323232323232). The above text should be sent to the respective companies:
IOC (Indane Gas): 8970024365
HPC (HP Gas): 9964023456
BPC (Bharatgas): 57333 or 52725
You will immediately receive a confirmation saying your Aadhaar number is registered. For methods other than SMS, a confirmation will be sent to you in seven days. However you can anytime check your linkage status on the concerned Oil company websites
For HP, click here: http://dcmstransparency.hpcl.co.in/TransparencyPortal/Transparency/Transparency.aspx
For Indane, click here: http://indane.co.in/check-aadhaar.php
For Bharat, click here: http://www.ebharatgas.com/ebgas/CC_include/Transparency_portal_new.jsp
Finally, check with your bank and ensure your bank account is Aadhaar-enabled.
What happens when the scheme starts?
- As soon as you book your first LPG cylinder, you will receive an amount equivalent to the subsidy in your bank account. This will be the advance subsidy that you use for buying the cylinder with non-subsidised price.
- As soon as you get the first delivery of the cylinder, an amount equivalent to the subsidy will again be deposited to your account. This will be your subsidy for the next cylinder you book.
- This will continue for nine cylinders in a year. After nine cylinders, you will be eligible for the subsidy only in the next year.
- If you don’t want to link your bank account with Aadhaar card, you will not be eligible for any subsidy.
- If you are using gas connection in somebody else’s name, that person needs to link his/her account number to his/her Aadhaar card. The subsidy will come to that account only.
- If the person on whose name the connection exists is not alive/ relocated or not available for all these processes, the subsidy will not be provided to anyone.
- Best part of the scheme is, in cases when somebody else books LPG using your consumer number in your absence, or without your knowledge, you might lose one cylinder from your quota. But your account will receive subsidy, and you are not obliged to pay it back to anyone! So far, those who booked gas like this and sold it in black market got away without being caught, even when they used the subsidy meant for you. This measure effectively curbs black marketing of LPG.
To know more about Direct Benefit Transfer and its benefits, click here.
