PAHAL (Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG) Scheme) : In News
The Indian government has deactivated more than 4 crore duplicate or inactive domestic LPG connections under its PAHAL direct benefit transfer scheme.
- Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh/Direct Benefits Transfer For LPG (PAHAL) scheme, launched by the Ministry Of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for LPG subsidies.
- Instead of subsidized cylinders being delivered directly, the consumer pays the full market price for LPG and the government transfers the subsidy amount to the registered bank account.
- It covers over 17 crore LPG consumers nationwide, making it the largest cash transfer program globally.
- Objectives:
- Ensures transparency and eliminates intermediaries.
- Removing incentives for diversion.
- Protect the entitlement and ensure the payment of subsidy to the consumers.
- Improving the availability or delivery of LPG cylinders for genuine customers.
- Eliminating the fake or duplicate connections.
- Providing self-selection in subsidy.
- Eligibility:
- The applicant must be an LPG user.
- The combined taxable income of the applicant and their spouse should not exceed ₹10,00,000 in the previous financial year, as per the Income Tax Act, 1961.
- Working:
- The consumer books a gas cylinder at the market price.
- Once delivered, the government credits the subsidy amount directly into the linked bank account of the consumer.
- There are two types of consumers in the scheme:
- Primary Aadhaar-Based DBT (preferred): Aadhaar is linked with both the LPG consumer number and the bank account.
- Alternative (Non-Aadhaar-Based): Bank account is linked directly with the LPG consumer number if Aadhaar linking is not available.
