Time to bank your LPG subsidy

…or risk paying double

GANGTOK, 06 Jan: Cash Transfer Compliant LPG consumers of Sikkim registered under PAHAL-Direct Benefits Transfer for LPG (DBTL) Consumers Scheme will now have to purchase their refills from their respective distributors at Rs. 935 per cylinder. The subsidy due to them for the LPG will then be directly deposited into the bank account registered by them with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. At present, domestic LPG cylinders enjoy a subsidy of Rs. 475, and this amount will be deposited directly into the concerned bank account within three days, officials inform.
This new system came into effect from 01 January 2015 onwards.

Consumers now entitled to 5 LPG subsidized cylinders till March

GANGTOK, 22 Jan: State Trading Corporation of Sikkim [STCS] has officially notified the increase in the quota of subsidized LPG cylinders from the existing 6 to 9 cylinders per year as effective from 01 April 2013. A press release issued by the Managing Director STCS informs that for the current financial year, the remaining number of cylinder entitlement for each connection under subsidized category (September 13 2012 to March 31 2013) now stands at 5 against the three earlier.
It is further informed here that currently the service of refilling is being continued on production of the acknowledgement receipt of DGCC book issued by this office. However, the practice shall no longer be continued without the production of mandatory Blue Book confirming KYC registration as per M/s. IOCL guideline.
STCS has requested its consumers to register KYCs immediately in order to get new updated Blue Books and continued service. Those who have already submitted KYC registration forms may immediately contact STCS office at Deorali & Baiguney, as the case may be, for collection of new updated Blue-Books.
Consumers who desire to transfer their connections with their convenient Distributors may also contact the STCS office. However, transfer is not mandatory while Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India has announced its portability within the ambit of the same Oil Manufacturing Companies.
Further, the release mentions that STCS has received a number of KYC forms seeking transfer of connections from the existing names to others which is proving to be difficult in the absence of appropriate documents authenticating proof of identifications. Hence, such consumers are requested to contact STCS offices at Gangtok or Baiguney with sufficient documents that authenticate their proof of identification to enable earlier registration of such cases.
Transfer of connections issued under Janta Mela and other Government welfare schemes are not transferable unless approved by the Government, the release adds.
Those consumers with multiple connections are requested to kindly surrender the same before actions are initiated by the authorities to block such connections. It is once again informed here that as per the new regulations, only one connection with DBC per household is permissible.
This is being informed for all the future exercise that cylinders are sufficiently available but only against prior booking unlike free availability in the past though the practice might be a teething problem initially, the release further states.

Subsidized LPG quota for current fiscal - 3

GANGTOK, 01 Oct: The State Trading Corporation of Sikkim, in a general notice for the interest if LPG consumers across the State, informs that the Ministry of Petroleum, Government of India, in pursuance of the ceiling of 6 subsidised cylinders per year imposed by it per household, has fixed the quota on number of cylinders under subsidized category for this financial year i.e. till March 2013 at three cylinders per household.
Households taking any more than three cylinders before March 2013 will have to pick up the additional cylinders under the non-subsidized category. When procued within a 10 km radius of the distributor’s godown, a subsidized LPG refill costs Rs. 430; the same under the non-subsidized rate will cost Rs. 952 as per price fixed by the Food & Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department.
Needless to add, the two levels of pricing also require more detailed documentation which has already sent consumers across the State in a tizzy as they try and get their LPG blue books transferred.
The STCS notice explains that distributors are now required to maintain detailed records on all consumers. The notice also recognizes that STCS being the oldest LPG distributor in the State, most of the consumers across Sikkim still hold STCS bluebooks even though they are already lifting their refills from other distributors. The price differential tied to amount of consumption now requires for these blueblooks to be updated properly and this will require transfer to proper distributors.
“It is at this backdrop, mandatory that such consumers must apply for TTV alongwith blue-book and SVR with the STCS to get their connections transferred to their respective distributors falling under their locality / area of operation as demarcated by the M/s. IOCL in order to enable the consumers / distributors to smoothly avail the above subsidized cylinders,” the STCS notice details.
Consumers are also mandatorily required fill and submit “Know Your Consumer” (KYC) forms for registration and allocation of individual consumer numbers and its subsequent authentication “which would perhaps have multiple purposes particularly for the purpose of applying ration card, etc”. This shall also facilitate the smooth implementation of the new mechanism in ensuring the consumers that they receive the subsidized refill cylinders as per ceiling without any hindrances.
Further, to make the matter easier and convenience for the consumers, the Corporation shall provide coupons and Know Your Consumer (KYC) forms obtainable from the STCS office or from any of its LPG distribution team at the time of refilling, the notice informs.
“No subsidized cylinders shall thenceforth be issued without producing such coupons and blue-books. It is therefore now mandatory that all our consumers produce or posses their valid Blue-Books alongwith the said coupons for availing the refilling of cylinders as per the above quota under subsidized category,” the notice stresses.
The notice further requests that consumers, who possess “block connection” surrender the same and apply for individual connection.