Biometric Aadhaar Authentication Becomes Mandatory for Subsidised LPG Refills from 1 October
From 1 October 2026, domestic consumers must complete Biometric Aadhaar Authentication (BAA) to keep buying LPG refills at the subsidised Retail Selling Price, under a Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas decision announced on 19 September 2026. Authentication can be done at the time of delivery, at distributor showrooms, or through oil marketing companies' mobile apps, web portals, WhatsApp chatbots and IVRS. Consumers unwilling or unable to complete BAA will still receive cylinders, but at market price without any subsidy. Of roughly 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, 89.9% had been authenticated by 19 September, leaving about a tenth facing the deadline.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched on 1 May 2016 from Ballia, Uttar Pradesh | LPG subsidy is credited directly to beneficiary bank accounts under the PAHAL (DBTL) scheme | Aadhaar is issued by the UIDAI, set up in 2009 and given statutory backing by the Aadhaar Act, 2016