Lok Sabha Question No. 5503 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-03
Subject: Domestic LPG Cylinders at Affordable Price
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Shri Gajendra  Singh Patel, Dr. Bhola Singh, Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Dilip Saikia, Smt. Himadri Singh, Shri Praveen Patel, Shri Anil Firojiya

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5503 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03 rd  April, 2025

## Domestic LPG Cylinders at Affordable Price

†5503. Shri Dilip Saikia:

Smt. Himadri Singh:

Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar:

Shri Gajendra Singh Patel:

Dr. Rajesh Mishra:

Shri Dineshbhai Makwana:

Dr. Bhola Singh:

Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram:

Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato:

Shri Anil Firojiya:

Shri Praveen Patel:

## पेĚोͧलयम एवं Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a) the increase in the domestic consumption of LPG among Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) consumers during the last three financial years and the current year, year-wise;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to review control the prices of domestic LPG cylinders and make LPG affordable for the General Public and the Ujjawala beneficiaries including Rajasthan;
- (c) the subsidy provided by the Union Government to the beneficiaries under PMUY during the last three financial years and the current year;
- (d) whether the Government plans to introduce new measures to ensure the provision of affordable LPG for low-income households and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has assessed the impact of rising LPG prices on the household budgets and if so, the findings thereof; and
- (f) the steps taken/being taken to ensure the availability of LPG in remote and rural areas?

## ANSWER

## पेĚोͧलयम एवं Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğालय मɅ राÏयमंğी ( Įी सुरेश गोपी )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

- (a)  to  (f)  :  Pradhan  Mantri  Ujjwala  Yojana  (PMUY)  was  launched  in  May,  2016  with  an objective to provide deposit free LPG connection to adult women from poor households across

the country. 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  was  also  achieved  during  December 2022.  Further,  Government  approved  release  of  additional  75  lakh  connections  under  PMUY Scheme for  the  period  FY  2023-24  to  2025-26  which  has  already  been  achieved  during  July 2024.

As on 01.03.2025, the total number of active domestic LPG consumers in India stands at 32.94 crore,  including  10.33  crore  beneficiaries  of  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Ujjwala  Yojana  (PMUY). Details of domestic LPG consumption amongst PMUY consumers are at Annexure- A.

Details  of  increase  in  domestic  LPG  consumers  during  the  last  three  financial  years  are  as

below:

| Particulars (As on 1st of April)   | UNIT   | 2022   | 2023   | 2024   | 01.01.25   |
|------------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|------------|
| LPG Active Domestic Customers      | (Lakh) | 3053   | 3140   | 3242   | 3289       |
| LPG Active Domestic Customers      | Growth | 5.5%   | 2.9%   | 3.2%   | 2.8%       |
| PMUYBeneficiaries                  | (Lakh) | 899.0  | 958.6  | 1032.7 | 1033.4     |
| PMUYBeneficiaries                  | Growth | 12.3%  | 6.6%   | 7.7%   | 3.2%       |

Note: Growth rates as on 1st April of any year are w.r.t. figures as on 1st April of previous year.

Source: PPAC

In order to improve access to LPG across the country, various steps have been taken inter alia, including organizing campaigns for improving awareness about PMUY, organizing melas/camps to  enroll  and  distribute connections,  promotion  through  Out  of  Home  (OOH)  hoardings,  radio jingles, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Vans etc., spreading awareness about advantages  of  using  LPG  over  other  conventional  fuels  and  safe  usage  of  LPG  through  LPG Panchayats,  enrolment/awareness  camps  under  Viksit  Bharat  Sankalp  Yatra,  facilitation  of consumers  and  their  families  for  Aadhar  enrolment  and  opening  of  bank  accounts  for  getting PMUY connections, simplification of process of getting LPG connection, online application for PMUY connection  at  www.pmuy.gov.in,  nearest  LPG  distributors,  Common  Service  Centres (CSC) etc., option of 5 Kg Double Bottle Connection (DBC), swap option from 14.2 Kg to 5 Kg, provision for Migrant Families to avail new connection on Self-Declaration instead of Proof of Address and Ration Card.

Further, OMCs are continuously commissioning new LPG Distributorships, especially in rural areas.  Since  the  launch  of  PMUY  scheme,  OMCs  have  commissioned  7959  Distributorships

(commissioned during 01.04.2016 to 31.12.2024) across the country, out of which 93% i.e. 7373 [Rurban- 1024, Gramin- 4974, Durgam Kshetriya Vitraks and Rajiv Gandhi Gramin LPG Vitrak (DKV+RGGLV) - 1375] are catering to rural areas. As a result of these efforts, LPG coverage in the country has improved from 62% in April 2016 to near saturation now.

India imports about 60% of the domestic LPG consumed. Price of LPG in the country is linked to its price in the international market. While the average Saudi CP (international benchmark for LPG pricing) rose by 63% (from US$ 385/MT in July 2023 to US$ 629/MT in February 2025), the  effective  price  for  Pradhan  Mantri  Ujjwala  Yojana (PMUY) consumers for domestic  LPG was reduced by 44% (from Rs. 903 in August 2023 to Rs. 503 in February 2025).

The retail selling price of a 14.2 Kg domestic LPG cylinder is currently Rs. 803 in Delhi. After a targeted  subsidy  of  Rs.  300/cylinder  to  PMUY  consumers,  Government  of  India  is  providing 14.2 Kg LPG cylinders at an effective price of Rs.503 per cylinder (in Delhi). This is available to more than 10.33 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries, across the country including Rajasthan.   Details of effective cost of domestic LPG cylinder to non-PMUY consumers and PMUY beneficiaries in Delhi, as on 01st March for last three years is as below :

(Rs./14.2 kg. domestic LPG refill.)

|                    |   01.03.2023 |   01.03.2024 |   01.03.2025 |
|--------------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
| Non-PMUY consumers |         1103 |          903 |          803 |
| PMUY beneficiaries |          903 |          603 |          503 |

Source: Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC)

Globally, PMUY is the biggest program of its kind that provides Domestic LPG to more than 10.33 crore poor households at an effective price of just about Rs. 35/Kg. Further, the effective price of domestic LPG cylinder in neighbouring countries as on 01.01.2025 is as below:

| Country   | Domestic LPG (Rs./14.2 kg.cyl.)#   |
|-----------|------------------------------------|
| India     | 503.00*                            |
| Pakistan  | 1094.83                            |
| Sri Lanka | 1231.53                            |
| Nepal     | 1206.65                            |

Source: Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC)

*Effective cost to PMUY beneficiaries in Delhi, effective price is Rs. 803 for non-PMUY consumers

As  a  result  of  various  steps  taken  by  Government  to  improve  access  and  affordability  of domestic LPG for PMUY consumers, per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries (in terms of no. of 14.2 kg LPG cylinders taken per year) has increased from 3.01 (FY 2019-20) to 3.68 (FY 2021-22), 3.95 in FY 2023-24, and 4.43 in FY 2024-25.

Various independent studies and reports have shown that PMUY scheme has had a significant positive  impact  on  the  lives  of  rural  households,  especially  women  and  families  in  rural  and remote areas. Some key benefits are briefly explained below: (i)  PMUY had resulted in a shift from  traditional cooking methods that involve burning solid fuels  like  wood,  dung  and  crop  residues.  The  use  of  cleaner  fuel  lowers  indoor  air  pollution, leading  to  improved  respiratory  health,  particularly  among  women  and  children  who  are traditionally more exposed to household smoke. (ii)  Households  in  rural  areas,  especially  those  in  remote  locations,  often  spend  a  significant portion  of  their  time  and  energy  in  collecting  traditional  cooking  fuels.  LPG  has  reduced drudgery  and  the  time  spent  on  cooking  by  women  of  poor  households.  The  free  time,  thus, available with them can be utilized in multiple spheres for enhanced economic productivity. (iii) Transition from biomass and traditional fuels to LPG reduces the dependency on wood and other  biomass  for  cooking  purposes,  leading  to  a  decrease  in  deforestation  and  environmental degradation. This benefits not only the households but also contributes to broader environmental conservation efforts. (iv) With improved cooking facilities, there is a potential positive impact on nutrition. Families may find it easier to cook a variety of nutritious meals, contributing to better overall health.

The details of funds allocation and utilization under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) since 2022-23 are given at Annexure-B.

*****

Annexure referred to in part (a) to (f) of Lok Sabha unstarred Question No. 5503 to be answered on 03.04.2025 regarding " Price of Domestic LPG Cylinders' asked by  Shri Dilip Saikia, Smt. Himadri Singh, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Gajendra Singh Patel, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Shri  Dineshbhai  Makwana,  Dr.  Bhola  Singh,  Shri  Vishnu  Dayal  Ram,  Shri  Bidyut  Baran Mahato, Shri Anil Firojiya and Shri Praveen Patel.

Details of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) Consumption during the last three financial years and the current year

| FY                    | PMUY Consumption (In TMT)   |
|-----------------------|-----------------------------|
| 2021-22 4439.24       |                             |
| 2022-23 4896.86       |                             |
| 2023-24 5591.3        |                             |
| 2024-25 (Till Feb'25) | 5957.2                      |

Source; PPAC

Annexure referred to in part (a) to (f) of Lok Sabha unstarred Question No. 5503 to be answered on 03.04.2025 regarding " Price of Domestic LPG Cylinders' asked by  Shri Dilip Saikia, Smt. Himadri Singh, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Gajendra Singh Patel, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Shri  Dineshbhai  Makwana,  Dr.  Bhola  Singh,  Shri  Vishnu  Dayal  Ram,  Shri  Bidyut  Baran Mahato, Shri Anil Firojiya and Shri Praveen Patel.

## The details of funds allocation and utilization under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) since 2022-23 are given below:

(Rs. in Crore)

| Scheme                               | F.Y.    |   Total Allocation |   Actuals |
|--------------------------------------|---------|--------------------|-----------|
| Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) | 2022-23 |               8010 |   5663.38 |
| Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) | 2023-24 |               8500 |   8500    |
| Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) | 2024-25 |              12700 |  12700    |

2022-23 to 2024-25 - Revised Estimates

2025-26  - Budget Estimates