More time to link Aadhaar with account

Direct transfer of LPG subsidy to Kerala consumers' bank account

LPG consumers will get at least two more months to get their Aadhaar numbers linked to bank accounts and there is no need to panic, government sources have told The Hindu .

The clarification came in the backdrop of the Centre preparing to resort to direct benefits transfer (DBT) of LPG subsidy from September 1.

“There has been no official communication yet to the banks and the government about the scheme being implemented from September 1. We only came to know about it through a press release issued by the Union Ministry of Petroleum. We also came to know that that those who have not linked their Aadhaar with bank accounts will be eligible to get subsidised cylinder till November 1,” a senior government official told

The Hindu .

A senior representative in the State-Level Bankers’ Committee confirmed that they had not received any official communication in this regard.

From the day reports started appearing, people had been thronging gas stations and banks to link their Aadhaar numbers to avail themselves of the cash benefit. There were complaints that LPG dealers had been asking consumers to go in for fresh connections in case of disparity in the name mentioned in the Aadhaar card and the dealers’ documents, he said.

Additional District Magistrate V.R. Vinod said the district administration had not received any specific complaints regarding this.

An official with the Kerala State Information Technology Mission, the nodal agency for implementing the scheme, told The Hindu that they had achieved 80.26 Aadhaar penetration in the district.

Those yet to receive the card may check the status by logging on to www.uidai.gov.in or by sending an SMS in the following format: UID STATUS <14 digit enrolment number> to 51969.