Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for transfer of cash subsidy on cooking gas is being launched from first of next month. Initially, it will cover 76 lakh LPG consumers in 20 identified districts of 8 states and 2 Union territories. Announcing this in New Delhi, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M Veerappa Moily said that the scheme aims to curb leakages and prevent black marketing. He said, transfer of subsidy has been linked with Aadhar Cards and Bank account with Aadhar number. He said, 89 per cent of LPG consumers in these districts already have Aadhar Cards.
The subsidy will be allowed on 9 cylinders a year beyond which the consumers will have to pay the market price. It will be provided in advance in their bank accounts at the time of booking itself. Mr Moily said, that the roadmap for extending the scheme to rest of the country is being worked out. There are 14 crore LPG consumers in the country out of which 63 lakh connections have been blocked for want of completion of KYC formalities.
The districts covered are Anantpur, Chittoor, East Godavari, Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, Diu in Damn and Diue, North Goa, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi and Una in Himachal Pradesh, Mysore and Tumkur in Karnataka, Pathanamthitta and Wayand in Kerala, Wardha in Maharashtra, Pondicherry, SBS Nagar/Nawanshahar in Punjab and East Nimar (Khandwa) and Harda in Madhya Pradesh.