New Delhi, September 20 : Aadhaar-based biometric authentication (BAA) will become mandatory from October 1, 2026, for domestic LPG consumers seeking refills at the regulated retail price with applicable subsidy, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said.
According to the ministry, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, or around 89.9 per cent of the total, have already completed the authentication process. Consumers who have completed BAA will not need to take any further action and can continue booking LPG refills as usual.
Those who have not yet completed the authentication will need to do so to access subsidised refills at the regulated retail selling price. The process can be completed during LPG delivery, at the 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 customers can use HelloBPCL, while HP Gas customers can complete authentication through the HP PAY app.
Consumers who are unwilling or unable to complete biometric authentication can still receive LPG cylinders. However, they will need to register their choice through their OMC's digital platforms, including consumer portals, mobile apps, WhatsApp chatbots and IVRS. Such consumers will receive LPG at the applicable market price without subsidy, in 5 kg or 10 kg cylinders, subject to local availability.
The government said the biometric authentication requirement is intended to ensure that LPG subsidies reach genuine and eligible households, while helping prevent diversion of domestic cylinders for commercial and industrial use and eliminating duplicate or ineligible connections.
The government had initially set June 30 as the authentication deadline, 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 was around ₹210 in September, compared with ₹721 in June. To keep domestic LPG affordable, the government is providing ₹30,000 crore in OMC compensation during FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27.
Public sector oil marketing companies had accumulated domestic LPG under-recoveries of more than ₹62,000 crore as of August 31, 2026, according to the ministry.
