Why it is in the news
On 19 September 2026 the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas announced that from 1 October 2026, Biometric Aadhaar Authentication (BAA) becomes mandatory for every domestic consumer who wants an LPG refill at the subsidised price. The Ministry reported that 27.43 crore consumers — 89.9% of active domestic LPG consumers — had already completed authentication as of that date and “do not need to do it again”.
The exam angle
Issue: Biometric authentication converts a universal entitlement into a conditional one. Does the accuracy gained in targeting justify the exclusion risk borne by the residual population that cannot authenticate, and what does a defensible design look like?