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Give up LPG subsidy — Shah to MPs

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'Give it up', PM asks better-offs to forgo LPG subsidy

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MUMBAI: One out of four Mumbaikars has not applied for the subsidized LPG cylinder .Sources said that as many as six lakh residents in the city have opted out of the LPG subsidy scheme, the deadline for which expired on March 31. Several corporates had also recently urged employees to give up the subsidy, and the response seems to have been good—with several consumers opting out voluntarily, a senior official from an oil marketing company said.“Nearly 76.7% city residents had opted for the subsidy and switched to the cash transfer scheme till April 1. The percentage has been higher (82.79%) in Maharashtra ,” the official said. “We have been advertizing and appealing to middle class and upper middle class families to give up the subsidy. We are glad that 23% responded,” he added.Those who applied for the subsidy but did not complete formalities have time till June.“While many have opted out of the subsidy, we have seen a satisfactory level of enrolment,” said a BPCL officer. At present, a fixed permanent advance of Rs 568 is also given to every consumer’s bank account.“The grace period will apply to those who had shown an inclination towards the scheme, for instance if you registered yourself with the distributor and only the bank formalities are pending. At times, there could have been a technical glitch while applying, or the computerized system may not have captured your data,” said BPCL’s executive director (LPG) George Paul.Gujrat BJP members resolve to forgo LPG subsidyThe scheme’s implementation is being directly monitored by minister of state (independent charge) for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan. In his Budget speech, finance minister Arun Jaitley had said: “I am sure persons who are better off, such as those in the top tax bracket, and those genuinely concerned with the welfare of the poor, such as members of this House, will give up their LPG subsidy voluntarily.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also recently urged banks and corporates to nudge their staff to give up the subsidy.