JAGATSINGHPUR: Hundreds of LPG customers in the district have been running from pillar to post to avail subsidy under the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme.The district has five private LPG distributors. Besides, Government sponsored District Supply and Marketing Society (DSMS) has been engaged as distributor of Indane while 20 self-help groups under it act as sub-dealers to provide LPG connections in the rural areas.
Delay in linking Aadhaar number with bank account, lack of coordination between distributors and banks and lack of awareness has deprived scores of customers from availing subsidy.Sources said as per norms, those who have not given up subsidy voluntarily will have the subsidy amount deposited in their bank accounts once they join the DBT.
For this, they have to link their Aadhaar number with the bank account. In case, they do not possess Aadhaar number, their bank accounts can be directly linked with the 17 digit LPG number. A large number of customers said officials at the LPG distribution centres cite delay in Aadhaar linkage as the main reason for the problem.
One Muralidhar Swain of Gobindapokhari village, who had taken his domestic LPG connection from DSMS, Jagatsinghpur, said he has not received the subsidy amount even after six months of linking his bank account with the Aadhaar number. Similarly, Parabati Sahoo of Badabag said she has not received the subsidy for the last one year. DSMS chief Satyasunder Sibram Paital said DSMS has more than 23,000 LPG consumers but no information is available on payment of subsidy owing to lack of a monitoring mechanism.