PANAJI: About 89 per cent of the 1.25 lakh kerosene users in the state have been identified as bogus claimers for kerosene, as only 11 per cent of the consumers are genuine kerosene users who do not have LPG connection.
The number of consumers using the subsidised kerosene for cooking has now come down from 1.25 lakh to 12,863, according to final figures released by the civil supplies department.
The petroleum companies have validated the figure provided by the civil supplies department with Aadhaar numbers of ration card holders getting kerosene and also got their names verified with all the LPG dealers ensuring that kerosene is not supplied to those who already have LPG connection.
Officials said the exercise was taken up with proper checks and balances to ensure that genuine beneficiaries did not suffer.
“We have weeded out nearly 89 per cent of bogus claimers, and in the process the department has saved nearly 11.21 lakh litres of kerosene. This will help the government plan better in earmarking funds in the budget and ensure that only genuine families are benefitted,” the official added.
In June last year, the department had launched a four-month-long special drive to know about the householders who do not have LPG connection and use kerosene for cooking. The drive was aimed at implementing the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala scheme so as to make Goa kerosene-free on the pattern of Delhi, the first kerosene-free city in the country.
The initiative helped the civil supplies department to narrow down on the actual beneficiaries to whom benefits can be extended under the public distribution system.
The department now will supply enhanced quota of kerosene of 10 litres per card from the existing 3.5 litres to the eligible beneficiaries to match its monthly supply quota.
These users are allowed to get their quota distributed through a network of 138 registered fair price shops.
The kerosene is supplied at the subsidised rate between Rs 18 to Rs 20.
The use of kerosene has been coming down over the years, and the Centre’s quota for Goa has come down from 20 lakh litre to 4 lakh litre.
Besides, the record maintained in the past on kerosene users was done manually by the department which had been unreliable and had no relevance to suggest genuine kerosene users.
As a result, the civil supplies department had to launch the drive and invite applications of existing kerosene users to weed out bogus claimers.
Figures of the Census of India show that the actual number of households using kerosene as the predominant cooking fuel in Goa has, in the last ten years, come down from 33167 households to 13328 households, as compared with 2001 census data.
The comparative census data of last two decades shows that there has been a rise of 61.43 per cent in LPG connection in the state.