New Delhi, September 19: From 1 October 2026, domestic LPG consumers must have completed biometric Aadhaar authentication (BAA) to book refills at the regulated retail selling price with the subsidy, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Saturday. Consumers who have already completed it do not need to do anything further.
As on 19 September, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, or 89.9 per cent, had completed BAA, the ministry said. Consumers who have not done so will be able to book subsidised refills once their authentication is complete.
Three ways to complete authentication
The delivery person can complete the authentication on the spot when a refill is delivered, using the oil marketing company’s (OMC) mobile app. Consumers can also go to their LPG distributor’s showroom, or do it from home on their OMC’s app: IndianOil ONE for Indane customers, HelloBPCL for Bharatgas customers and HP PAY for HP Gas customers.
Video tutorials on self e-KYC are available on the PMUY portal. For help with LPG services, consumers can call the toll-free helpline 1800 2333 555.
If a consumer does not want to authenticate
Consumers who are unwilling or unable to complete BAA can still get LPG, but they have to register that choice on their OMC’s digital channels: the consumer web portal, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot, IVRS or other channels. They will then be supplied LPG at the market price, without subsidy, in 5 kg or 10 kg cylinders, subject to local availability with the OMC.
The ministry said the process is not meant to deny LPG to any genuine household.
Deadline moved several times
Consumers were first asked to complete BAA by 30 June 2026. The deadline was then extended to 31 July, 7 August, 15 August, 23 August, 31 August, 7 September and finally 14 September.
The ministry said OMCs have run a nationwide outreach drive since October 2023. More than 12 crore SMS and WhatsApp messages have been sent, and distributors and delivery staff have followed up individually with consumers who had not authenticated. Special camps were held at distributorships, busy public places and in rural areas, and the OMCs also used IVRS prompts during refill booking, mobile notifications and campaigns on social media and in newspapers.
Why the government wants it
According to the ministry, linking each connection to an Aadhaar-authenticated consumer helps stop subsidised domestic cylinders being diverted for commercial and industrial use, removes duplicate and ineligible connections, and makes subsidy delivery more transparent and targeted.
Domestic LPG is sold below cost, the ministry said. The implicit subsidy for September 2026 is around ₹210 per 14.2 kg cylinder, and it reached ₹721 per cylinder in June 2026. The government paid OMCs ₹22,000 crore in compensation in 2022-23 and is paying ₹30,000 crore during 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Even so, the accumulated under-recoveries of public sector OMCs on domestic LPG exceeded ₹62,000 crore as on 31 August 2026, the ministry said. It described directing the subsidy only to genuine consumers as essential to sustaining it.
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Source: Press Information Bureau release, 19 September 2026: Biometric Aadhaar Authentication Mandatory for Subsidised Domestic LPG Refills from 1 October 2026.