Threat to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana; Supply of Domestic Gas Connections for Hundreds of Consumers May Face Disruption
Purnia/Dhamdaha: The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), counted among the central government's ambitious schemes, has played a revolutionary role in liberating the lives of women from smoke in rural areas of the country and Bihar. Under this scheme, free LPG gas connections were also provided to thousands of poor families in the Dhamdaha subdivision area of Purnia district. However, at present, due to administrative and technical strictness, a major crisis is looming over the gas supply of hundreds of Ujjwala consumers in Dhamdaha. If consumers fail to complete their formalities in a timely manner, the gas subsidies and refill supplies they receive could be disrupted.
Main Cause of Crisis on the Ujjwala Scheme: KYC and Aadhaar Authentication
According to new guidelines from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs - IOC, BPCL, HPCL) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, e-KYC and biometric verification of gas connections have been made mandatory for all Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries.
According to reports received from various gas agencies and rural distributor centers in the Dhamdaha area, there is still a large number of consumers who have not completed their mandatory e-KYC or bank account Aadhaar seeding work. Despite repeated warnings and timelines given at the administrative level, many consumers at the grassroots level are unable to complete formalities due to a lack of technical awareness or other reasons.
Consumers Running Around Gas Agencies and Mounting Difficulties
Offices of gas agencies situated in Dhamdaha market and surrounding rural areas are currently witnessing heavy crowds of consumers.
Technical Hurdles and Server Issues: Many consumers state that when they reach the gas agency or Common Service Center (CSC), their e-KYC cannot be completed due to servers being down or fingerprints failing to match.
Lack of Awareness: Many female beneficiaries in rural pockets do not have clear information that failing to get KYC done could lead to the stoppage of their subsidies or new cylinders.
Errors in Documents: Substantial hurdles are also arising in the verification process due to discrepancies in spelling of names or addresses across Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and bank passbooks.
Disruption in Gas Supply Will Increase Hardships for Rural Women
If the e-KYC of these consumers is not completed within the deadline, their connections may be temporarily blocked or deactivated by the companies' software. The direct impact of this will be:
The money for government subsidies (Direct Benefit Transfer - DBT) received by consumers will stop coming into their accounts.
They will face severe difficulty in getting their next gas cylinder under subsidized rates or the prescribed procedure.
Poor families may once again be forced to return to firewood and dung cakes (traditional solid fuels) to light their stoves, undermining the core objective of the Ujjwala scheme.
Appeal by Administration and Gas Agencies
Seeing the severity of the situation, gas distributors in the Dhamdaha area have issued an urgent appeal to all consumers to immediately contact their nearest gas agency or authorized Common Service Center to avoid any inconvenience.
Distributors have clarified that consumers should visit the center carrying their Aadhaar card, bank passbook, and Ujjwala scheme passbook to complete their biometric e-KYC without any delay. The administration has also issued directives to run local public announcements and awareness campaigns so that no poor family is deprived of the benefits of this important scheme.
