OMCs crack down on ineligible LPG subsidy claims, deceased connections amid supply strain

Bihar deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary defended the fuel price hike, citing rising global petroleum prices and inflation, and stated the energy crisis will normalize once the conflict ends.

PMUY consumers receive a subsidy of ₹300 per cylinder, while non-PMUY consumers with annual gross taxable income below ₹10 lakh receive a subsidy of ₹79.26 per cylinder.

Retail prices in Patna showed petrol at ₹108.58 per litre and diesel at ₹94.63 per litre, reflecting a rise in fuel prices nationwide.

Officials said legal heirs or eligible family members must approach distributors within 30 days to transfer the connection in their names; otherwise, the connection may be permanently terminated. Deceased connections are being cross-verified with UIDAI and other databases.

Oil marketing companies launched a verification drive across the country, including Bihar, to weed out ineligible domestic LPG consumers and deceased connections. The effort marks high-income (HIG) consumers—those with annual gross taxable income above ₹10 lakh—as ineligible for subsidies and involves matching consumer details with the CBDT database and cross-checking with UIDAI.

Consumers flagged during verification received SMS alerts informing them that their subsidy may be discontinued if they fail to raise objections within a week through a helpline or OMC grievance portal.

In Patna, the waiting period for LPG cylinder delivery rose to nearly a week from 3-4 days in April; rural areas continue to have a 45-day waiting period for booking an LPG refill, with a mandatory 25-day gap between two refill bookings in urban areas.

The last price revision set a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder cost of ₹1,011 in Patna.

The provision under the Centre’s GiveItUp campaign was introduced to encourage affluent households to surrender LPG subsidies to benefit economically weaker consumers.