Lok Sabha Question No. 3691 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-19
Subject: Gas Subsidy through Post Offices
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: RAVINDRA KUMAR RAY, OM PRAKASH YADAV, SHER SINGH GHUBAYA, DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3691 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 th  March, 2018

## GAS SUBSIDY THROUGH POST OFFICES

†3691. DR. RAVINDRA KUMAR RAY: SHRI OM PRAKASH YADAV: SHRI SHER SINGH GHUBAYA: SHRIMATI DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH:

पेट्रोलियम एवं प्राक ृ लिक गैस मंत्री

- Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state : (a)  whether  lakhs  of  consumers  are  not  getting  gas  subsidy  despite  linking  their connections with Aadhaar and if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken to release the pending subsidy to the consumers at the earliest; (b)  whether  the  Government  has  issued  guidelines  to  implement  the  scheme  of transferring  gas  subsidy  in  post  office  saving  accounts  for  the  convenience  of  the people and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the said facility is available in all post offices in the country, State/ UTwise  including  Bihar  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  if  not,  the  reasons  therefor along with the steps being taken in this regard; (d)  whether the consumer can check the  records of LPG subsidy which has been transferred to the bank account of the consumers under Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) and if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether some complaints from the Airtel customers regarding diversion of their subsidy  amount  into  the  bank  account  of  Airtel  company  without  their  knowledge have been received and if so, the details thereof along with the action taken by the
- Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

पेट्रोलियम एवं प्राक ृ लिक गैस मंत्री ( श्री धमेन्द्र प्रधान )

MINISTER OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

- (a) Under the PAHAL scheme, LPG consumers, who join the scheme, get the LPG cylinders at non-subsidised price and receive LPG subsidy (as per their entitlement)

directly into their registered bank  accounts. As  on 14.03.2018, 20.07 crore consumers  have  joined  the  Scheme  and  getting  subsidy  in  their  registered  bank account. (b)  &  (c)  Under  PAHAL  scheme,  LPG  consumers  are  required  to  link  such  bank accounts which are the part of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) payment  gateway.  Oil  Marketing  Companies  (OMCs)  have  reported  that  they transfer amount to Aadhaar linked bank accounts in which Aadhaar linked post office accounts  are also included. (d) LPG consumers can check the records of LPG subsidy transferred to their bank account under PAHAL scheme on visiting website of the concerned Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs)/www.mylpg.in. (e)  This  Ministry  as  well  as  Public  Sector  Oil  Marketing  Companies(OMCs)  have received number of complaints from LPG consumers regarding non-receipt of LPG subsidy amounts into their bank accounts in the recent past months. On verification, it  was  found  that  these  complaints mainly pertain to those LPG consumers whose accounts have been seeded with Aadhaar by Airtel and the LPG subsidy of these Airtel  customers  has  been  credited  to  their  newly  opened  Airtel  Payment  Bank account  seeded  with  Aadhaar.  The  matter  was  taken  up  with  the  concerned authorities  in  Ministry  of  Finance,  National  Payments  Corporation  of  India  (NPCI) and Airtel. Airtel has returned the subsidy alongwith the interest to the original bank accounts of the consumers.

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