CHENNAI: LPG consumers who do not have an Aadhaar card and are being turned away by some banks from registering for the Direct Benefit of Transfer for LPG (DBTL) scheme need not worry. Oil companies have suggested that LPG consumers who encounter problems in submitting Form 3 to banks can instead submit Form 4 to their gas agencies.
Ever since the DBTL registrations began, numerous consumers who do not have an Aadhaar card have complained that many banks, particularly the State Bank of India (SBI), the largest nationalised bank, are refusing to accept Form 3. This has triggered fears that they could be deprived of the LPG subsidy from January 1, 2015. Responding to the ongoing Express DBTL campaign, Balakrishnan, a consumer who does not have an Aadhaar card, said the Standard Chartered Bank on Haddows Road here had refused to accept Form 3. His Bharatgas distributor also insisted that Form 3 has to be submitted to the bank.
“I have submitted Form 4 to my gas agency with my bank details but since the bank is not accepting Form 3, how will I get the subsidy,” he asked.
Similarly, SBI customer Ravi wondered why the bank with the largest network had turned its back on him when the bank accepts the DBTL Form 1 (for Aadhaar holders).
An SBI branch manager said, “We have not received any circular from our head office on which forms to accept. Presently, data entry is being done for forms with Aadhaar numbers alone.”
An Indane official said he was unaware why some banks were refusing to accept Form 3. “LPG consumers who have accounts in such banks can submit Form 4 to the gas agencies for seeding with the bank accounts,” he assured.
However, in the absence of official communication, the consumers are apprehensive if the seeding would actually be done. Visit www.mylpg.in for the list of banks.