Summary of this article
Biometric Aadhaar authentication becomes mandatory for subsidised LPG refills.
Unauthenticated consumers will pay the applicable market price.
Authentication can be completed through apps or LPG distributors.
Domestic LPG consumers will need to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication to book refills at the regulated retail price and receive any applicable subsidy from October 1, 2026, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Consumers who have already completed the authentication process do not need to take any further action. As of September 19, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, representing 89.9 per cent of the total, had completed biometric Aadhaar authentication.
Those who have not completed the process can continue to receive LPG refills. However, they will have to pay the applicable market price until the authentication is completed, after which they can obtain refills at the regulated price and receive any applicable subsidy.
How Consumers Can Complete Authentication
Consumers can complete biometric Aadhaar authentication during LPG delivery by visiting their distributor’s showroom or through the mobile applications of the three public-sector oil marketing companies.
Indane customers can use IndianOil ONE, Bharatgas customers can use HelloBPCL, while HP Gas customers can use HP PAY. Consumers can also approach their LPG distributor for the process.
The authentication exercise is intended to verify LPG consumers and identify duplicate or ineligible connections. The government has also linked the exercise to preventing subsidised domestic cylinders from being diverted for commercial or industrial use.
Consumers who do not want to complete biometric authentication can register their choice through the digital channels of the oil marketing companies. These include websites, mobile applications, WhatsApp chatbots and IVRS. Such consumers can receive five kg or 10-kg cylinders, subject to local availability.
Deadline Extended Multiple Times
The government had initially fixed June 30 as the deadline for biometric Aadhaar authentication. The deadline was later extended to July 31, August 7, August 15, August 23, August 31, September 7, and finally September 14.
The nationwide authentication drive has been underway since October 2023. Oil marketing companies have used SMS and WhatsApp messages, distributor outlets, delivery personnel, special camps and IVRS prompts to reach consumers.
LPG Subsidy And Under-Recoveries
The ministry has reported that the implicit subsidy on a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder was around Rs 210 in September 2026, compared with Rs 721 in June.
Public-sector oil marketing companies received Rs 22,000 crore in compensation for domestic LPG under-recoveries in 2022-23. The government is providing Rs 30,000 crore each in 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Despite these payments, accumulated under-recoveries on domestic LPG at state-owned oil marketing companies crossed Rs 62,000 crore as of August 31, 2026.
From October 1, consumers who have not completed biometric Aadhaar authentication will have to pay the applicable market price instead of the regulated subsidised price.
