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About 10.33 crore Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) free gas connections have been provided across the country since its launch in May 2016, petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Puri informed Lok Sabha this week.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women from poor households. India has taken a huge stride in making cooking fuel clean and sustainable through its PM Ujjwala Yojana. Usage of traditional cooking fuels had detrimental impacts on the health of rural women as well as on the environment. The target to release 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 to release 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 has been achieved during December 2022. Further, the government approved the release of an 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 improved from 62 per cent in April 2016 to near saturation now. No targets for new connections under PMUY have been set," the minister said in his written reply. To make LPG more affordable to PMUY consumers and ensure sustained usage of LPG by them, the government started a targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per annum in May 2022. In October 2023, the government increased the targeted subsidy to Rs 300 per 14.2 kg cylinder. LPG cylinders are currently selling at Rs 503 per cylinder (in Delhi). (ANI)
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