LPG distributors of various oil companies in the city say they have not received any instructions about the scheme to link Aadhaar numbers to LPG subsidies.
The recent Central government announcement about plans to provide subsidies to LPG subscribers directly to their bank accounts from October 1 using the Aadhaar (unique identification) number has left residents and distributors, somewhat confused.
G.M. Ashok, a resident of Villivakkam, said that for several months now, there has been no information about procedures to enrol for an Aadhaar number. The zonal Chennai Corporation office too, did not have much information about it, he said.
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T. Sadagopan, a resident of Pattabiram, echoed Mr. Ashok’s sentiments, and said residents were unclear about what they needed to do now.
Distributors in Anna Nagar and Avadi, as well as oil company officials said they had not received any written communication about the process of registering Aadhaar numbers to provide subsidies.
Lalit Chandrasekar, president of All India LPG Distributors Federation, said that subscribers could avail nine subsidised cylinders this fiscal, after which they could buy non-subsidised cylinders for Rs. 836.50 each.
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Meanwhile, officials who were at the recent conference in New Delhi in which heads of various government agencies took part, said one of the outcomes of the meeting was that in cases where the process to provide Aadhaar numbers was delayed, the LPG subsidy could be provided through a direct benefit transfer using the subscribers’ bank account numbers.
The Aadhaar number is a unique, 12-digit number that enables identification for every resident in the country. It contains both biometric and demographic details.
Recently, the number was linked with the National Population Register scheme, which uses the number in a resident identity card for all residents.
In Chennai, of the total 41.53 lakh residents, biometric data of only 3.93 lakh residents has been taken so far. However, officials of the directorate of census operations said all residents would get their Aadhaar numbers by early October, once the collection of biometric data is completed in September.
The only means to register for the card at present is through the city’s local bodies. The Corporation will circulate information about camps to be held to get these cards, they said. By the end of May, camps for many zones are set to begin.
Residents could also contact the census operations office at 044-24911992 for details, said M.R.V. Krishna Rao, joint director of the directorate.