• Source:JND

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries: Amid the rising prices of cooking gas and the increasing subsidy burden, the Central Government has reduced the number of subsidised LPG cylinders available each year to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) from nine to four.

According to the government, the revised entitlement reflects the average annual LPG consumption of Ujjwala households. Launched in May 2016, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana provides deposit-free LPG connections to adult women from economically weaker households.

Initially, beneficiaries were eligible for 12 subsidised 14.2-kg LPG cylinders annually. The quota was reduced to nine cylinders last year and has now been further cut to four.

According to a PTI report, Praveen Mal Khanooja, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said the new entitlement has been fixed after assessing the average LPG consumption patterns of PMUY beneficiaries across the country.

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Subsidy Support Continues

To encourage the adoption of clean cooking fuel, the government introduced a subsidy of Rs 200 per 14.2-kg LPG cylinder in May 2022. The subsidy amount is directly transferred to beneficiaries' bank accounts whenever they refill their cylinders.

In October 2023, the subsidy was increased to Rs 300 per cylinder. Similar benefits were also extended to users of 5-kg LPG cylinders.

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LPG Prices Continue to Rise

The latest reduction in the subsidized quota follows recent hikes in LPG prices. The price of a 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi has risen by a cumulative Rs 89 over two hikes in the past three months.

The latest increase, on June 7, took the retail price to Rs 942. After accounting for the Rs 300 subsidy, PMUY beneficiaries pay Rs 642 for a 14.2-kg cylinder. Cooking gas LPG prices were raised by Rs 29 per cylinder on June 7.


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