As parts of its consumer friendly initiative, the government today launched a scheme SAHAJ for online release of new LPG connections for the consumers.Launching the scheme at a function in New Delhi, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, under the scheme, people can apply online for new connection and they need not visit to the LPG distributors for it. He said, the scheme has also been launched in twelve other cities. <br/><br/>The cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna and Pune. He said, the distributors can not force the consumer to purchase gas stove from their stores and it will depend on customer's choice. Mr Pradhan also said, the SAHAJ scheme will be extended to other parts of the country in near future. <br/><br/>Speaking on the Prime Minister's appeal of giving up the subsidised LPG connection, Mr Pradhan informed that around 25 lakh connections have been surrendered since January 2015. He also said, 22 lakh new connections have been issued to BPL families in lieu of the surrendered connections.<br/><br/>AIR correspondent reports that the SAHAJ facility will enable the prospective customers to post online request for a new connection by filing Know Your Customer, KYC form, uploading photographs and bank account details. After submission, the customer will receive the registration number to know the connection status. The customer may opt for online or offline mode of payment for connection. Electronic subscription voucher will be mailed to the customer and physical delivery of the Gas cylinder, regulator with hose pipe will be made by the distributor.