Lok Sabha Question No. 704 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-04
Subject: PAHAL (DBTL) Scheme
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Balwant Baswant Wankhade, Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva, Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara, Shri P P Chaudhary, Shri Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan, Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Shri Radheshyam Rathiya, Shri Vijay Baghel

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 704 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04 th  December, 2025

## PAHAL (DBTL) Scheme

704. Shri P P Chaudhary:

Shri Balwant Baswant Wankhade:

Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva:

Shri Vijay Baghel:

Shri Radheshyam Rathiya:

Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap:

Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara:

Shri Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan:

## पेĚोͧलयम एवं Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  enhance  transparency  and  efficiency  in  subsidy transfers  and  LPG  distribution  through  the  PAHAL  Direct  Benefit  Transfer  for  LPG  (DBTL) mechanism;
- (b)  whether  any  initiative  has  been  undertaken  to  improve  identification  of  beneficiaries  and reduce instances of duplicate or ineligible connections, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of LPG connections that have been blocked, suspended or deactivated under the PAHAL (DBTL) scheme to prevent misuse of subsidy along with the criteria and the process adopted for such identification particularly in the Pali Lok Sabha Constituency;
- (d)  the  outcomes  of  recent  audits  or  third-party  evaluations  of  the  PAHAL  (DBTL)  scheme particularly in  relation  to  consumer satisfaction  and  grievance redressal  in the Pali  Lok Sabha constituency; and
- (e) the details of the subsidy transfers and LPG distribution through the PAHAL Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG mechanism in Palghar District in Maharashtra?

## ANSWER

## पेĚोͧलयम एवं Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğालय मɅ राÏयमंğी ( Įी सुरेश गोपी )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

- (a) to (c): Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL)-PAHAL Scheme has been implemented since January  2015  for  transparent  and  effective  disbursal  of  subsidy  across  the  country.  Under

PAHAL Scheme, all domestic LPG cylinders are sold at a uniform Retail Selling Price (RSP) and applicable subsidy to LPG consumers is transferred directly into their bank accounts.

PAHAL has played a crucial role  in  identification  and  blocking  of  'ghost'  accounts,  multiple accounts, and inactive LPG connections, thereby helping curb the diversion of subsidised LPG for commercial use. As of 01.11.2025, a total of 4.19 crore duplicate, non-existent, multiple, and inactive  LPG  connections  are  blocked,  suspended  or  de-activated    including  1.39  lakhs  in PaliLok Sabha Constituency (covering Jodhpur, Pali and Bewar district).

Government  has  taken  numerous  steps  to  remove  ineligible  consumers  and  improve  subsidy transfer process, which include the following:

## De-duplication through CLDP-

Government  has  also  brought  a  Common  LPG  Database  Platform  (CLDP)  through  which duplicate connections are being identified and removed from the LPG database. Deduplication amongst  LPG  consumer  database  is  done  using  Aadhaar  Number,  Bank  Account  Details, Abridged Household List (AHL) Temporary Identification Number (TIN), Ration Card Details, Name and Address as the key parameters.

## Biometric Aadhaar Authentication Drive-

Aadhaar-based authentication for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes enables accurate, realtime, and  cost-effective identification, authentication, and  de-duplication  of  beneficiaries, ensuring  targeted  delivery  of  benefits  to  the  intended  recipients.  To  strengthen  consumer authentication, the Government had directed the public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to undertake and complete biometric Aadhaar authentication of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and PAHAL beneficiaries.  As  of  30.11.2025,  Biometric  Aadhaar  authentication  has been completed for 71% of the existing PMUY beneficiaries. Further, all new PMUY consumers undergo Biometric Authentication before release of connections.

## Weeding out of Ineligible Consumers-

PAHAL  has  enabled  the  disbursement  of  the  Targeted  subsidy  benefit  to  eligible  PMUY consumers. Multiple steps have been taken to ensure that these benefits reach the eligible and targeted  beneficiaries  in  an  efficient  and  timely  manner.  Since  its  inception,  as  a  result  of comprehensive deduplication exercises undertaken, a total of 8.63 lakh PMUY connections have been terminated. Further, in January 2025, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was issued for the removal of PMUY consumers who had not taken any further refills after the installation of their  connection  and  till  01.11.2025,  around  20,000  inactive  PMUY  connections  have  already been terminated following the SOP.

(d):  A  comprehensive  third-party  evaluation  was  conducted  by  Research  and  Development Initiative  (RDI).  The  study  found  that  more  than  90%  of  the  respondents  were  satisfied  with subsidy reimbursement mechanism. The report recommends strengthening the subsidy payment infrastructure  and  grievance  redressal  systems,  along  with  improving  targeting  by  limiting subsidies  to  economically  weaker  sections.  It  also  highlights  the  need  for  sustained  safety awareness and expanded outreach through local language and mass media campaigns to ensure better adoption and safe usage of LPG. Based on these findings, steps have been taken to further improve the efficiency, transparency, and outreach of the PAHAL scheme.

The  grievance redressal system  for all LPG  consumers  including  in  Pali  Lok  Sabha Constituency  has  also  been  gradually  strengthened  and  improved  over  time  to  enhance consumer experience and service quality. Now LPG consumers can lodge their grievances/complaints using any of the following methods-

1. Toll free helpline- A dedicated toll-free helpline (1800 2333 555) is available for consumers to lodge their queries, including subsidy-related issues.
2. OMCs' official websites and Mobile Applications
3. Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)
4.  Chatbots,  WhatsApp,  Social  media  handles  (Twitter,  Facebook,  Instagram)  including MoPNGeSEVA
5. 1906: Dedicated helpline for LPG accidents/leakages
6. Lodging Complaints directly at the distributor office

In case of online complaints consumers have an option to provide their feedback on complaint resolution.  If  a  consumer is not satisfied with the resolution provided, they have the option to reopen the query for further review.

- (e): No State/UT/District-wise allocation of funds is done under DBTL. Details of DBTL subsidy since 2021-22 are given below:

(Rs. in Crore)

| Year   |   2021-22 |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |   2024-25 |
|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Amount |    177.06 |       180 |      1460 |    375.26 |

During  the  period  2020-21  to  2022-23,  Saudi  CP  (international  benchmark  for  LPG  pricing) went up from $415 per MT to $712 per MT.  However, the increase in international prices was not fully passed on retail prices, due to which the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) suffered significant  losses.  To  compensate  the  OMCs  for  these  losses,  Government  paid  a  one-time compensation of Rs. 22,000 crore to OMCs in FY 2022-23.

The  international  prices  of  LPG  again  went  up  during  2024-25  and  continue  to  remain  high. However, to insulate  consumers  from  fluctuations  in  international  LPG  prices,  the  increase  in cost  was  not  passed  on  to  consumers  of  domestic  LPG  which  led  to  significant  losses  for the three  OMCs.  Despite  these  losses,  the  Public  Sector  Oil  Marketing  Companies  have  ensured continuous  supplies  of  domestic  LPG  in  the  country  at  affordable  prices.  To  compensate  the OMCs for these losses, Government has recently approved a compensation of Rs. 30,000 crore to the OMCs.

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