Government’s Digital India initiative is flourishing more than we thought it would. It is leaving its prints in every sector of the society, not just sticking to e-governance and transparency, for what it was initially introduced. It has now introduced online bookings for new connections for subsidized cooking fuel. After having introduced a 5-kg cylinder back in 2013, it is now planning to launch 2-kg bottles at local kirana stores, for making things just more convenient.
“We are now planning to introduce a 2-kg cylinder that can be easily carried… this will be particularly beneficial for the rural people and poor who cannot afford to pay the price of a 14.2-kg or even 5-kg cylinder,” said Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
While speaking at the launch of online booking of LPG connections, Pradhan said, “Consumers can now book a new connection online. It will be verified within 48 hours and a person from the nearest LPG agency will deliver a new connection at the door-step in next 3-4 days,” he said.
The portal called Sahaj has been launched on MyLPG.in where citizens book an LPG connection and make payments for the connection online. This service will be available for citizens in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna and Pune for now, and will be launched across the country in the next few days.
The procedure of physical booking being taken online will make booking new connections a hassle free process now. Also, this will also help in better governance, as in physical bookings too, one has to fill pockets of officials to get their connections soon. Also, time-saving is a major plus point of this initiative.
In July, many initiatives were launched under the Digital India week, such as Digital Locker, Bharatnet, e-Sign and others. As fascinating as it may sound, over 20k villages are now connected by broadband. The government also has reached out to the education sector by launching eBasta. Launch of online LPG bookings has just added up to its growing umbrella.
The portal interestingly states that it is maintained by the ‘respective oil marketing companies’. It also has a link to the government’s Give it Up initiative where PM Modi had requested the well-off people who can afford to pay market price, to voluntarily give up their subsidy to help extend its reach to the most needy.
There is also a ticker stating that the scheme PAHAL has made it to the Guinness World Record. As we dig in for more, we see that the scheme to pay subsidy directly in bank accounts of customers, called the Direct Benefit Transfer on LPG, has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest cash transfer programme in the world. It has also eliminated middle-men and black marketers and ensured the fuel is delivered to right people.
The MyLPG portal is available on phones, tablets and computers. Users can book their cylinders, register for a new connection, track cylinder booking and delivery dates, choose the distributor, Aadhaar linking status, monitor LPG subsidy transferred to bank and surrender their connection online. It has been created by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas along with oil marketing companies like Indane, Bharat Gas and HP Gas.
A TOI report also states that after a new application for an LPG connection is received, the system will automatically detect a dealer best suited for the user and email or message them the customer ID number, within 48 hours of application. Once this number is received, the user can pay online, after which the system makes a duplication check. Post that, the dealer will deliver the regulator, cylinder and rubber pipe to a new user. Apparently, the whole process will take 6-7 days.
So overall, the portal will make tasks easy along with bringing in more transparency. Thumbs up from our side for this one!
[Source , Image: Kartik Jayaraman / Flickr.com]
