Domestic cooking gas consumers in Delhi and Mumbai will from Wednesday get cash subsidy for buying cooking gas refils as the Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) Scheme will be extended to 105 more districts.
Govt targets 1 cr consumers to give up LPG subsidy.
Officials said the oil marketing companies had provided data to the Income Tax department.
The Supreme Court on Thursday assured the Centre and bodies like SEBI and RBI that it will take a decision by Friday evening on their plea seeking setting up a larger bench for modifying an earlier order restricting the voluntary use of Aadhaar card to PDS and LPG schemes only.
The government on Wednesday put on hold a hike in LPG prices in states including Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala, where an increase in local levies had led to a rise in fuel rates.
To cut subsidy bill and reduce fiscal deficit, the previous United Progressive Alliance government had restricted the number of subsidised domestic cylinders per household to six every year in September 2012, revising it to nine the following January
'Individual beneficiary desirous of availing the benefits under the scheme (PMUY) is hereby required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication,' said a gazette notification issued by the ministry of petroleum and natural gas.
"(The) government has conveyed approval to public sector oil marketing companies to formulate a scheme for surrendering (of the) LPG connection by a customer who is being supplied piped natural gas," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said. Alternately, the customer can also choose to keep the connection in safe custody. Thus, if he changes residence to an area not covered by PNG, he can avail a new LPG connection at the surrendered security deposit rate on a priority basis.
Of the 170 million rural households in the country, a government website claims to have connected 82 per cent of them. The metered households are 50 per cent of the total. As on February, 2018, of the 780,000 villages to be intensively electrified or provide connection to all in households, 493,000 have been covered. However, the amount and quality of the power supply cannot be ascertained from this data. No clause in any of the rural electrification programmes promises 24 hours' power supply.
The cap on cylinders would burden the Centre, which will need to compensate the states for the increased cooking fuel cost.
Over 12,450 LPG users have so far voluntarily given up their subsidies, but this accounts for only 0.008 per cent of about 15 crore (150 million) domestic cooking gas consumers in the country.
"The tea is good but it is a little too sweet," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Meera who was elated to host the surprise guest at her house near the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk here on Saturday.
Ujjwala Yojana was launched on May 1, 2016 at Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh and has so far covered 47.3 million consumers in 715 districts
However, unlike cellular services where consumers have the option to switch between different mobile companies, LPG consumers would have the limited option of changing only their dealers, not the oil company.
The government has extended the supply of subsidised cooking gas to educational and social welfare institutions.\n\n\n\n
The rising goods and services tax (GST) and personal income-tax collections may bolster the Narendra Modi government's ability to announce new schemes or enhance existing ones.
LPG alone will save us Rs 8,000 cr a year: M Veerappa Moily.
A clarification on delinking Aadhaar account from disbursal of subsidised LPG cylinders would be issued within a week, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Veerappa Moily said during Question Hour.
The seeding of LPG database with Aadhar numbers is above 55 per cent and overall Aadhar penetration is 90 per cent in these districts.
1.46 lakh such consumers have voluntarily given up the subsidy.
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora today launched the 'Preferred Time LPG Delivery' scheme.
There are about 15.3 crore LPG consumers in the country.
The government appointed panel will look at the difficulties consumers faced in receiving the subsidy after buying gas cylinders at market rates.
Rediff.com takes a look at the progress of schemes initiated by the government.
Global crude oil prices have slumped by 49 per cent during the same period
Petrol and diesel prices were cut by Rs 2 per litre each as state-owned oil companies ended a nearly two-year-long hiatus in rate revision, just hours before the general election schedule was announced.
Prime minister's office wants OMCs to bear credit subsidy for remaining 8 subsidised units on reimbursement basis.
The smaller cylinders will be sold at market rates.
55 million people already in the social security net
'What should surprise BJP supporters is Modi's call for 'stability' at the manifesto launch, a theme that he and his team members had not touched ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019.' 'The last time the party called for 'stability at the Centre' was in 1998 and 1999,' recalls N Sathiya Moorthy.
In order to end use of kerosene -- which often does not reach the intended beneficiaries -- the Delhi government on Tuesday launched an ambitious scheme, where about 3.5 lakh BPL and poor families will get free LPG cylinders and gas stoves.
Taxability of LPG subsidy and other direct benefits paid directly into bank accounts of beneficiaries is unclear.
The opposition Congress listed 59 promises in its 106-page manifesto, with assurances for all sections of the society, including farmers, women and government employees.
The FinMin will pay Rs 5,324 crore (Rs 53.24 billion) for Jan-March.
Kharadi has eight children -- four sons and as many daughters -- from two wives. The entire family lives in Neechla Thala village, about three kilometres from Kotda tehsil of Udaipur.
Here are the main factors that impact the November 23 elections in the state.
Congress general secretary Bhanwar Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said there is no truth in the speculation of senior party leader Kamal Nath joining the Bharatiya Janata Party and claimed such talks were a creation of the media and the saffron party.
The scheme was to be rolled out in 20 districts initially but the launch in Mysore in Karnataka and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh has been put off by a month due to assembly and Parliamentary bypolls, official sources said.
Petroleum Minister Ram Naik Friday indicated that prices of domestic cooking gas may be hiked before the Budget to check growing subsidies but said consumer interest will be kept in mind while taking any such decision.
Targeting Modi over inflation, Priyanka called him a "mehengai" man.
