Pradhan hands over Guinness LPG subsidy certificate to PM Modi

The Guinness Book of World Records certificate recognising India’s direct LPG subsidy transfer as the world’s largest cash transfer programme was on Saturday handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The previous UPA government had conceptualised and rolled out the programme to pay LPG subsidy directly into bank accounts of domestic users from September 1, 2013. However, the Direct Benefit Transfer on LPG (DBTL), which faced some teething troubles that were later sorted out by the NDA government, was relaunched under a new name PAHAL in 54 districts from November 15, 2014, and all over the country from January 1, 2015. “The PAHAL scheme has been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest cash transfer programme (household) with 12.57 crore households receiving cash transfer as of June 30,” an official statement said here. “As on December 3, 2015, 14.62 crore LPG consumers have joined the PAHAL scheme and are receiving the subsidy directly into their bank accounts.” Under the scheme, LPG throughout the country is being sold at a market price. However, domestic users get a cash subsidy to keep their payout on the fuel at the old rate of Rs 417 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi.