NEW DELHI: Biometric Aadhaar Authentication (BAA) will become mandatory from October 1, 2026, for domestic LPG consumers seeking to book refills at the regulated retail selling price with applicable subsidy, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said on Saturday.
The ministry said 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, accounting for 89.9 per cent of the total, had already completed the authentication process. Consumers who have completed BAA will not be required to take any further action and will continue receiving LPG refills as before.
For those yet to complete the process, subsidised refill booking at the regulated retail selling price will be enabled after authentication. Consumers can complete BAA during refill delivery, at their LPG distributor’s showroom or through the mobile applications of the three public sector oil marketing companies.
Indane customers can use the IndianOil ONE app, Bharatgas consumers can use HelloBPCL, while HP Gas customers can complete the process through HP PAY from their homes.
The ministry said consumers unwilling or unable to complete biometric authentication would still be able to receive LPG, but would have to register their choice through their OMC’s digital platforms, including consumer portals, mobile applications, WhatsApp chatbots and IVRS. Such consumers will receive LPG at the applicable market price without subsidy, through 5 kg or 10 kg cylinders, subject to local availability.
According to the government, the authentication exercise is intended to ensure that subsidised LPG reaches genuine and eligible households, while curbing the diversion of domestic cylinders for commercial and industrial use and eliminating duplicate or ineligible connections.
The government had initially fixed June 30 as the deadline for authentication, which was extended several times before the final deadline of September 14.
The ministry said the implicit subsidy on a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder stood at around Rs 210 in September, compared with Rs 721 in June. To keep domestic LPG affordable, the government is providing compensation of Rs 30,000 crore to public sector oil marketing companies during FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27.
Accumulated under-recoveries of public sector OMCs on domestic LPG had crossed Rs 62,000 crore as of August 31, 2026, the ministry said, underscoring the importance of targeted subsidy delivery for sustaining the scheme.
