CHENNAI, September 29, 2016
Deepa H Ramakrishnan
Many consumers in Chennai, where Aadhaar coverage is low, are likely to be among those hit
With only a couple of days left for the deadline to link Aadhaar numbers with bank accounts, around 25 per cent of the consumers in the State may not get subsidy for their domestic LPG connections.
The Oil Ministry had directed the oil companies to ensure that the accounts of consumers that were linked with the LPG IDs under the Pahal scheme (previously called the Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG) are seeded with the respective Aadhaar numbers before September-end.
In June, consumers were asked to ensure that the link was through and informed that until that is done, subsidy would not be transferred.
Parking period
A parking period of three months was provided for which time the amount would be retained by the oil companies.
However, of the 1.67 crore consumers in the State, only 1.28 crore have ensured that the number is linked to their bank account. LPG distributors said that though they had informed consumers who had not done the linking so far, many did not evince interest in the same.
No response
“For many, the present subsidy component of Rs. 70-Rs. 80 a cylinder does not seem big enough to take the effort to go to the bank and get the job done. Consumers just have not responded to our calls or text messages,” said a distributor.
Another distributor said that many consumers did not have Aadhaar cards, especially in places like Chennai, where coverage is not very high. “They are not sure where to obtain the card. Though it is said that you can walk into zonal offices of the Chennai Corporation to get the biometrics done, it is not as simple. In some places, the biometrics are taken in Tahsildar offices and such changes in procedures confuse residents wanting to obtain an Aadhaar card. Many are now doing it out of compulsion as despite the Supreme Court’s directive, the Aadhar number is sought for almost everything, including to start a business,” explained a distributor.
There are also instances of consumers not receiving subsidies despite the accounts being linked with Aadhaar numbers.
Of the 1.67 crore consumers, only 1.28 crore have got their Aadhaar numbers linked to accounts