No deadline for mustering activity; Union Minister responds to VD Satheesan's letter

NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, clarified that there is no deadline for complying with eKYC authentication process for LPG cylinders. He also said that customers can also use their mobile phones for the purpose. The union minister was responding to a letter sent by Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan pointing out the inconvenience caused by the eKYC measures to regular LPG consumers.

Taking to his official X handle, Hardeep Puri stated that there is no deadline for this mustering activity, either by the Oil Marketing Companies or by the Central Government.

Minister Puri reiterated that oil marketing companies are conducting eKYC Aadhaar authentication for LPG customers to remove bogus accounts, against whose names commercial cylinders are often booked by certain gas distributors. He added that this process has been in place for more than eight months and was initiated to prevent the misuse of subsidized cylinders.

During the LPG mustering process, the cylinder delivery personnel verify customer credentials upon delivery. Using a mobile app, the personnel capture the customer's Aadhaar credentials, and the customer receives an OTP to complete the process. Customers can also visit the distributor showroom at their convenience or use OMC apps to complete the e-KYC process independently.

Furthermore, Minister Puri stated that oil companies are issuing a clarification to the press to assure customers and ensure that no genuine consumer faces any hardship or inconvenience.