Biometric Aadhaar Check Becomes Must for Subsidised LPG From October 1
From October 1, domestic LPG consumers must complete biometric Aadhaar authentication to keep receiving the cooking gas subsidy.
Domestic cooking gas consumers who want to keep drawing the LPG subsidy will need to finish biometric Aadhaar authentication before booking their next refill. The requirement takes effect on October 1, with the government urging eligible households to complete the process early to avoid disruption.
Who needs to act
The authentication is meant to confirm that the subsidy reaches genuine beneficiaries. Any consumer eligible for a subsidised cylinder who has not yet completed the process must do so before the deadline. Households covered by the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana have an additional condition: they must complete the authentication once every financial year to receive targeted direct benefit transfer subsidies on certain refills, such as the eighth and ninth.
Options for those who opt out
Consumers unwilling or unable to complete biometric authentication will not lose access to cooking gas. They can register their choice through an oil marketing company's digital channels, including its web portal, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot or IVRS. Such consumers will then be supplied LPG at the applicable market price without subsidy, in 5 kg or 10 kg cylinders, subject to local availability.
How to complete the process
Authentication can be done in three ways. An executive can complete it at the doorstep during refill delivery using the company's mobile application. Consumers can also visit their distributor's showroom, or finish the process themselves from home through the mobile app of the oil marketing company they are subscribed to. Those who have already completed authentication need not take any further action.
Coverage so far
As of September 19, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, or 89.9 per cent of the total, had completed biometric Aadhaar authentication. The government had initially set a June 30 deadline, but extended it repeatedly to July 31, August 7, August 15, August 23, August 31, September 7 and September 14.
Why the subsidy matters
The government extends LPG subsidy to make clean cooking fuel affordable for lower-income households and to cut health risks linked to traditional biomass fuels. The implicit subsidy for September 2026 works out to about Rs 210 per 14.2 kg cylinder, down from Rs 721 per cylinder in June 2026. To keep domestic LPG affordable, the government paid oil marketing companies Rs 22,000 crore in compensation in FY 2022-23 and has provided Rs 30,000 crore each in FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27. Despite this, accumulated under-recoveries of public sector oil marketing companies on domestic LPG exceeded Rs 62,000 crore as on August 31, 2026 — the reason cited for tightening verification through biometric authentication.