OMCs go on digital drive during lockdown; govt sets March 2021 deadline

The Union government has asked oil marketing companies (OMCs) to go for around 100 per cent digitalisation on payments for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by March 2021. Though a step towards Digital India, the move is likely to have an impact on more than 80.3 million Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) consumers, majority of whom are not exposed to digital transactions.

According to multiple sources, among the three companies Indian Oil Corporation (IndianOil), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, HPCL has already initiated steps towards achieving this target by “asking distributors for compulsory digital transactions”.  Though 100 per