Monthly cap on LPG cylinders off; but 12-a-year norm remains

The government has done away with the restriction of one LPG cylinder per month for domestic cooking gas consumers even as it retained the annual quota of subsidized LPG cylinders at 12. The move, however, will give some relief to consumers as they can now avail of their annual quota at any time of the year.

In a relief to consumers, the Cabinet on Wednesday lifted the restriction of supply of only one subsidised cooking gas LPG cylinder to a household in a month, saying consumers can avail their quota of 12 bottles at any time of the year.

The union cabinet on Wednesday decided that while 12 subsidised LPG cylinders will continue to be supplied to all domestic consumers every year, there will be no separate monthly restriction on its use.

While raising quota of subsidised 14.2-kg LPG cylinders that a household can avail in a year to 12 from previous nine, the government had in February put a restriction of one cylinder per month.

"The Cabinet today came to a conclusion that this system is causing problem to the people. Sometimes people do not need one, sometimes during festive season demand is more. So there was a feeling that if someone has not taken one cylinder on a given month, then in remaining months he won't get it," Ravi Shankar Prasad, minister for law and telecommunications, said after the cabinet meeting.

"Today at the cabinet meeting, looking at the benefit of people, that condition has been done away with. Now they will get 12 cylinders at subsidised rate," he said.

"This decision has been taken in order to remove the difficulty of people in India and consumers in particular."

After Wednesday's decision, consumers can avail of their quota of 12 cylinders at the rate of Rs414 each in Delhi at any time of the year. Any requirement beyond this will have to be purchased at market price of Rs920 per 14.2-kg cylinder.

"Previous government on February 28, 2014 had decided that 12 subsidised cylinders will be given to people. But there was a clause that you have to take 1 cylinder every month," Prasad said.