Question : Pre-Paid CNG Smart Cards

(a) whether the Government has launched pre-paid CNG smart cards to provide CNG consumers a digital option for making payments and if so, the details thereof along with the objective of the same;
(b) whether the Government has taken steps for smooth roll out of these pre-paid CNG smart cards and if so, the details thereof;
(c) the steps taken by the Government to introduce pre-paid cards across the country; and
(d) the other steps taken by the Government to provide clean CNG and PNG for transportation and cooking at customers’s convenience to promote gas based economy?

MINISTER OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)
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(a) to (c): At present, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), a City Gas Distribution (CGD) entity in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad had started “IGL Smart Card Program” at all its CNG stations in October 2017 for promoting cashless transactions as a part of “Digital India” campaign. IGL Smart Card is a Prepaid NFC enabled card, designed to benefit both fleet as well as retail CNG Customers to reduce the transaction time. This Prepaid Card programme is the first pre-paid card programme by CGD sector in the country. As per the Government guidelines, the CGD entities are taking steps to bring digital economy in their area of operation.
(d): In order to promote the usage of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) across the country, Government has issued guidelines according to which the entire requirement of City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities for CNG (transport) and PNG (domestic) sector is met through domestic gas.
The Ministry of Labour & Employment has declared CGD network as a “Public Utility” under the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued advisory to the State Governments to speed up the CNG/PNG infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence has issued guidelines to allow the development of PNG network into its establishments across the country.
Further, PNGRB has envisaged a phased roll out plan for development of CGD networks in several Geographical Areas (GAs) in various States. The GAs are included in bidding rounds in a phased manner depending on the natural gas pipeline connectivity/natural gas availability and techno-commercial viability of the area.
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