Kolkata: To ease the growing pressure of completing KYC for LPG consumers, the Centre has extended the deadline of completing KYC. The earlier deadline was
suoppsed to expire on August 16. But faced with immense disruption, the government has decided to extend it by seven days. Hours of server outages, malfunctioning of apps and significant pressure on digital infrastructure have put immense pressure on what was supposed to be a simple process. This problem with online and digital processes have prompted many to make a beeline for completing KYC verification at the distributor’s office. People across the country have to wait in long queues at LPG dealerships unsure whether their e-KYC will be completed when they reach the counter.
What worked and what didn’t
This one-week extension is meant to ease the pressure that had been building up to August 16. But according to reports, dealers say technical issues persist even with the new deadline, limiting the pace of work as before. This can put even the extension in severe test.
The main problem is structural. The entire e-KYC process runs on the digital infrastructure of oil marketing companies. When their servers crash or their apps slow down, nothing can be done, no matter how many employees are at the counter or how many customers come with the correct documents. During prolonged server downtime, lines stop moving, while new people keep joining the queue.
Customer experience
For dealers, a single server outage can disrupt an entire day’s schedule and shift workload to the next day. For customers who have already lost several hours at dealerships, the new August 23 deadline will offer little relief. Therefore, the oil marketing companies must get on a fire-fighting mode with their digital infrastructure to make a meaningful difference and alleviate the sufferings of the consumers and allay their fears.
Since the verification has to be done digitally, it does nto help by queuing up in front of the distributor’s office as the personnel in the office also depends on the same apps and servers to get the work done. It merely adds the pain of standing in a queue, often on the open roads under the sun or rains.
If the KYC is not completed within the deadline, one could lose any subsidy on the LPG cylinder connection. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana stipulates that beneficiaries under the scheme will be entitled to four subsidised 14.2-kg cylinders per year.
