10.33 cr LPG connections provided under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the Lok Sabha this week that about 10.33 crore Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) connections have been given free of cost across the country since the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in May 2016. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched to provide LPG connections to adult women from poor families without deposit. India has taken a major step towards making cooking fuel clean and sustainable through its Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. The use of traditional cooking fuel has adversely affected the health of rural women as well as the environment.

The target of releasing 8 crore connections under PMUY was achieved in September 2019. To cover the remaining poor households, Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in August 2021 with a target of releasing 1 crore additional PMUY connections, which was achieved in January 2022.

Subsequently, the government decided to release 60 lakh more LPG connections under Ujjwala 2.0 and the target of 1.60 crore Ujjwala 2.0 connections during December 2022 has been achieved. Further, the government approved the release of additional 75 lakh connections under the free gas scheme for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26, which has already been achieved in July 2024.

"As a result of these efforts, LPG coverage in the country has increased from 62 per cent in April 2016 to close to saturation now," the minister said. No target has been fixed for new connections under PMUY. To make LPG more affordable for PMUY consumers and to ensure continued use of LPG by them, the government introduced a targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per year in May 2022.