2016 is year of LPG consumers

The government on Friday declared 2016 as the ‘Year of LPG Consumers’ and vowed to make clean cooking fuel available to every household by 2018.

“2016 will be the Year of LPG Consumers. We will work to increase accessibility and availability of the cooking gas in the country. In the coming three calendar years 2016, 2017 and 2018, we will set an ambitious target to provide clean cooking fuel to entire population,” Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

He said the government wanted to cover 100 per cent of the population, before which, issues pertaining to affordability and accessibility have to be taken care of.

“We hope that a large proportion of population will avail the facility with the increase in their purchasing power due to economic growth, in next three years,” he said.

Pradhan also launched an emergency helpline ‘1906’ for cooking gas consumers. Consumers from all over India can call on the said helpline in case of any gas leakage. The number will be toll-free soon.

The government is also expected to launch LPG online bill payment service by the end of this year. It will come out with composite transparent cylinder by the end of March, next year. Meanwhile, public sector Indian Oil Corporation hiked prices of non-subsidised LPG cylinders by around Rs 50 with immediate effect. This is the second hike in less than two months.

The market price of a non-subsidised liquefied petroleum gas cylinder of 14.4 kg is now Rs 657.50 in Delhi, Rs 686.50 in Kolkata, Rs 671 in Mumbai, and Rs 671.50 in Chennai.