Govt extends deadline to get Aadhaar for free LPG till Sep
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday issued a gazettee notification extending that deadline to 30 September.
The government has extended the deadline by which Aadhaar is mandatory for availing free cooking gas (LPG) connections.
The government had in March this year mandated that anyone not having Aadhaar but desirous of availing free LPG connection under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana must apply for it by 31 May.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday issued a gazettee notification extending that deadline to 30 September.
The government had in October last year made the unique identification number mandatory for everyone to get LPG subsidies. In March this year it was extended for free cooking gas connections to women of BPL households.
"A beneficiary desirous of availing the benefits under the Scheme (PMUY), who does not possess the Aadhaar number or has not yet enrolled for Aadhaar shall have to apply for Aadhaar enrolment by 31st May, 2017, provided she is entitled to obtain Aadhaar," the notification issued on 6 March had said.
In Friday's notification, the ministry said, "The figures, letters and word '31st May, 2017', the figures, letters and word '30th September, 2017' shall be substituted."
The government had last year launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to provide 5 crore poor women with free LPG connections in three years with a view to providing clean cooking fuel. So far over 2.6 crore free connections have been provided.
"Individual
beneficiary
desirous
of
availing
the
benefits
under
the
scheme
(PMUY)
is
hereby
required
to
furnish
proof
of
possession
of
Aadhaar
number
or
undergo
Aadhaar
authentication,"
said
the
March
6
gazette
notification.
Those
below
poverty
line
(BPL)
women
looking
to
avail
free
LPG
connection
but
do
not
have
the
Aadhaar
number,
have
been
asked
to
apply
for
it
by
30
September.
Once enrolled for Aadhaar, the beneficiary can apply for free LPG connection by providing the enrolment ID slip or a copy of such a request.
Such application will have to be accompanied by one of the government identification documents like bank passbook with photograph, election voter ID, ration card, permanent account number (PAN), passport, driving licence, kisan photo passbook or a certificate of identity having a photo issued by a gazetted officer on an official letterhead, it said.
The ministry has asked state-owned fuel retailing firms to facilitate enrolment of beneficiaries for biometric identification number, Aadhaar.
The government currently gives 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates per household in a year. The subsidy on every cylinder is transfered in advance directly into bank accounts of individuals, who then buy the cooking fuel at market rates.
PTI