Indian Oil Corporation has begun sale of market-priced 5-kg Free Trade LPG cylinders through kirana stores and supermarkets for the first time in India.
The sale of the cylinders from kirana stores and supermarkets has been launched in Bangalore, Chennai, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Aligarh, to begin with, according to a statement.
This initiative will offer LPG through easily approachable sales points, and local corner stores such as kirana shops, retail stores, malls, etc. It is expected to benefit migratory population such as students, IT professionals, BPO employees and persons with odd duty timings.
According to IndianOil, customers can enroll for the scheme with ease and pick up cylinder refills from nearby shops at their own convenience.
To begin with, sale of the 5-kg FTL cylinders has been launched from 11 kirana stores in five cities, and will be extended to 50 more cities in the near future. Under the scheme, at the time of first-sale, the cost of the equipment (cylinder plus pressure regulator), the cost of the product at the prevailing non-domestic 5-kg cylinder price, and administrative charges will be payable.
The cost of a new 5-kg FTL cylinder with LPG will be approximately in the range of Rs 1,600 to Rs 1,700. At the time of subsequent refills, only the cost of the product will be payable while exchanging the empty cylinder for a filled one.
The prospective customer at the time of first-sale would only be required to give a copy of their proof of identity like Voter I-Card, Driving licence, PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, Bank Passbook, Employee ID, Passport, Student ID, or any other such document.
In October 2013, sale of 5-kg free trade LPG cylinders was launched from select IndianOil retail outlets (petrol/diesel stations) pan-India. As on date, IndianOil is marketing 5-kg FTL from 52 outlets across 32 cities (in addition to the 11 stores referred to above).
Increased availability of the cylinders through more points is leading to growth in sales, with approximately 1,500 customers enrolling with IndianOil till date.