LPG cylinder holder? Is your gas pilfered? Know how your cooking gas is stolen; this is what you can do

Ensuring LPG cylinders reach every corner of India and that too wherein gas is provided in accurate amounts is one of the agendas of PM Narendra Modi led NDA government. In interim Budget 2019, then interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal highlighted that, the NDA government embarked upon a programme to deliver 8 crore free LPG connections under the Ujjwala Yojana. More than 6 crore connections have already been given and the remaining members of the public will get free gas connections by next year. However, there have been many cases that have been reported, where people have received pilfered LPG cylinders. Pilfered means that, the gas in an LPG cylinder is stolen and hence, much to the plight of innocent householders, cooking gas finishes much faster. This stolen LPG cylinder gas is a massive loss in money that  the public should be saved from. 

For instance - you can only pay for 14.2 kg cylinder or 19 kg cylinder at an distributor, however, you have probably only received let’s say 12 kg cylinder or 15 kg cylinder - this means it has been pilfered. One can identify this fraud with the number of days generally it takes for the original LPG cylinder to finish. If one 14.2 kg cylinder has always taken a month to finish, but all of a sudden it is emptied in a week or two, this means you have not received actual fuel you paid for unless, of course, your uasge of LPG cylinder gas has increased because of a family event. 

This has been a cause of concern for government since past few years. However, not to worry, there is an app which can help you detect whether your LPG cylinder has the proper amount of fuel which you have paid for. 

Chkfake is an application which helps a consumer to identify their product whether it is real or not. This app allows to detect fraud in currency notes, LPG cylinder, auto parts and electronics. 

On its website, Chkfake says, You might have a pilfered cylinder – maybe someone took out the gas before it reached you. Chkfake helps you detect a tampered LPG cylinder.

Last year, a The Telegraph report highlighted that, while "gas cutting" is mostly done by a delivery boy on way to a consumer's address, several distribution agencies steal LPG even at their godowns. The pilfered gas is then sold to various eateries and hotels.

The report highlighted that, an LPG distributor is supposed to provide 14.2kg of cooking gas in a cylinder, the combined weight being 29kg. But, consumers get an average of 12.5kg of LPG, 1.7kg less than what they pay for.

Hence, it is of utmost important to ensure your LPG cylinder is full. Here’s how to check LPG cylinder gas is less - you can do it at Chkfake.

Step 1 - Download the Chkfake app. It is available for download from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Step 2 - Search for the product you want to verify and confirm with a simple click.

Step 3 - Scan the code (if available on product) or follow simple instructions to locate and verify different security features on the product.

Step 4 - Get the results instantly and save yourself from buying fakes. Share with your friends.

Watch the tutorial on how your LPG cylinder gas is pilfered and how you can recognize it.

In the month of February 2019, a subsidized 14.2 KG LPG cylinder is sold at Rs 493.53 in Delhi, Rs 496.57 Kolkata, Rs 491.19 in Mumbai and 481.34 in Chennai. Whereas the non-subsidized price for 14.2 KG cylinder is at Rs 659 in Delhi, Rs 683 in Kolkata, Rs 630 in Mumbai and 673 in Chennai.

There is also a higher LPG cylinder of 19 KG sold for Rs 1170.50 in Delhi, 1217.50 in Kolkata, Rs 1117 in Mumbai and Rs 1267.50 in Chennai.

Companies like Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Limited (BPCL) are the real channels of distributing LPG cylinder gas in India.