OilMin tweaks norms for allotment of gas agencies, petrol pumps

NEW DELHI: The Oil Ministry has tweaked norms for allotment of LPG sale agencies to private individuals, raising the upper age limit of applicants to 60 years and lowering educational criteria to just 10th pass.

State-owned oil companies allot petrol pumps and cooking gas LPG agencies to individuals offering own land and meeting certain educational and financial criteria.

While previously LPG distributorships were alloted to persons in age group of 21 to 45 years, the new guidelines provide for upper age limit to be raised to 60 years, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

Educational qualification for general or regular category LPG agencies has been lowered to 10th pass from previous requirement of applicant being a graduate, he said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

He said requirement of finance for setting up the gas agency has been done away with while also reducing the security deposit.

Also, 33 per cent reservation for women has been provided.

Besides gas agencies, the Ministry has also tweaked norms for allotment of petrol pumps.

"Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has approved certain amendments in guidelines for allotment of retail outlets," Pradhan said.

Educational qualification requirement for the applicant has been lowered from graduation to matriculation, he said, adding the earlier norm of having a particular sum of money for setting up a petrol pump in a scheduled bank has been changed to "un-encumbered fixed deposits in any bank".

Also, the definition of 'family' whose land can be used setting up a petrol pump has been expanded to include applicant and his or her spouse, parents, siblings including step brothers and sisters, children including step children, son-in-law and daughter-in-law, parents-in-law and grandparents.

Earlier the 'Family Unit' consisted of individual applicant, spouse, unmarried children. In case of unmarried applicant, it comprised parents, unmarried siblings while in case of divorcee/widower, it consisted of individual and unmarried children only.

Pradhan said the previous norm that the land offered for setting up of petrol pump cannot be changed except in cases where statutory approvals could not be obtained has been changed.

Now, the allottee can "offer an alternate land" meeting the specifications.