Lok Sabha Question No. 304 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-15
Subject: LPG Facility
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat, Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 304 TO BE ANSWERED ON  15 th  JULY, 2019

## LPG Facility

†*304.  SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT: SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

पेट्रोलियम एवं प्राक ृ लिक गैस मंत्री Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether even the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) are not using cooking gas cylinders due to their high cost;
- (b)  if  so,  the  action  plan  being  prepared  by  the  Government  to  deal  with  the  said problem;

(c)  whether  there  is  any  monitoring  mechanism  to  assess  the  success/failure  of schemes and if so, the details thereof;

(d)  the  number of households which are still deprived of LPG as cooking fuel and depending on firewood, coal, dung-cakes, etc. as primary source of cooking; and

- (e) the measures taken by the Government to make the facility of LPG available at the doorsteps of villagers?

## ANSWER

पेट्रोलियम एवं प्राक ृ लिक गैस मंत्री ( श्री धमेन्द्र प्रधान )

MINISTER OF  PETROLEUM  AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI  DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

- (a) to (e) :  A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  THE  LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 304 BY SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT AND SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM TO BE ANSWERED ON 15TH  JULY 2019 REGARDING 'LPG FACILITY'.

- (a) to (c) Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have reported that nearly 86% of PMUY beneficiaries  who  are  atleast  one  year  old  have  returned  for  the  second refill.  Further,  the  PMUY  beneficiaries  get  applicable  subsidy  directly  into their  bank  account  under  PAHAL  Scheme.    In  order  to  encourage  the PMUY beneficiaries to adopt and use LPG on sustained basis, OMCs have taken measures which include:-
- (i)  offering swap facility i.e.  to provide small 5 kg cylinder against 14.2 kg cylinder as per the  requirement.
- (ii)  conducting  Pradhan  Mantri  LPG  Panchayat  to  educate  beneficiaries on the benefits of sustained use of LPG and its safe usage.
- (iii)    launching  audio  visual  media  campaign  to  spread  awareness  on advantages of use of LPG.
- (iv)    targeted  SMS  campaign  to  reach  to  beneficiaries    who  have  not comeback for refill.
- (v)    display  campaign  by  way  of  banners,  standees  and  hoardings  at public places.
- (d) As on 08.07.2019,  OMCs  have  released  more  than 7.34 crore  LPG connections across the country. Adoption and use of LPG on sustained basis by a beneficiary of PMUY involves behavioural change and also depends on several  factors  which  include  food  habits,  cooking  habits,  price  of  LPG, availability of free firewood, cow dung etc.
- (e) In  order  to  address  the  issue  of  easy  access  and  availability  of  LPG  at  the doorsteps to the LPG consumers living especially in rural areas, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have undertaken massive LPG network expansion drive in  recent  years.   During  the  last  5  years,  OMCs  have  commissioned  more than  nine  thousand  LPG  distributorships  to  make  LPG  easily  available  and accessible to the customers. Further, the LPG distributors under the category of Urban, Rurban and Gramin Vitraks are required to make home delivery of LPG cylinders in their respective areas of operation.