Lok Sabha Question No. 1606 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-13
Subject: LPG Connections under PMUY
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1606 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13th February, 2025

## LPG Connections  under PMUY

†1606. Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha:

## पेĚोͧलयम एवं Ĥाक ृ Ǔतक गैस मंğी

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  impact  of  LPG  connections  provided  under  the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY);
- (b) if so, the outcome thereof;
- (c) whether any special steps are being taken by the Government to ensure regular use of LPG connections issued under the PMUY scheme and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  collected  data  of  beneficiaries  who  are  not  able  to  get  the cylinder refilled due to financial reasons;
- (e) if so, the details of the number of such families and steps taken in this regard; and
- (f)  the details of the new efforts being made by the Government to make the LPG distribution system in the country more efficient?

## 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.  LPG  connection  under  PMUY  is  released  in  the  name  of  adult  women  of  the  poor households,  provided  no  LPG  connection  exists  in  the  name  of  any  family  member  of  the household and fulfilling  other  terms  and  conditions.  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, 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 01.01.2025, there are 10.33 crore LPG connections under PMUY scheme.

LPG  consumption  of  PMUY  beneficiaries  is  monitored  on  regular  basis.  Consumption  of domestic  LPG  by  households  depends  on  several  factors  like  food  habits,  household  size, cooking habits, tradition, flavor, taste, preferences, price, availability of alternate fuels etc.

To  make  LPG  more  affordable  to  PMUY  consumers  and  ensure  sustained  usage  of  LPG  by them, Government started a targeted subsidy of Rs.200/- per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per annum (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 Kg connections) to the PMUY consumers in May 2022.  In  October  2023,  Government  increased  the  targeted  subsidy  to  Rs.300  per  14.2  kg cylinder  for  up  to  12  refills  per  annum  (and  proportionately  pro-rated  for  5  Kg  connections). 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.  No timeline has been set for distribution for LPG connection to remaining households.

Government reduced the retail selling price of domestic LPG for all consumers by Rs. 200 per 14.2 Kg LPG cylinder with effect from 30th August, 2023. Government further reduced the RSP of domestic LPG by Rs. 100 per 14.2 Kg cylinder w.e.f. 9th March, 2024. The current RSP of domestic LPG at Delhi is Rs. 803 per 14.2 Kg cylinder.

Since  the  launch  of  PMUY  till  financial  year  2022-23,  Government  has  been  bearing  an expenditure of  up  to  Rs.  1,600  per  PMUY  connection  for  Security  Deposit  (SD)  of  Cylinder, Pressure Regulator, Suraksha Hose, DGCC booklet and installation charges. From financial year 2023-24,  this  expenditure  has  been  increased  to  Rs.  2,200  per  connection  for  14.2  Kg  Single

Bottle Connection/ 5 Kg Double Bottle Connection & Rs. 1,300 per connection for 5 Kg Single Bottle Connection.

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  7944  Distributorships  (commissioned  during  01.04.2016  to  31.10.2024)  across the  country,  out  of  which  7361  (i.e.  93  %)  are  catering  to  rural  areas.  The  steadily  rising consumption of domestic LPG by PMUY consumers indicative of growing acceptance of LPG by  rural  households.  Per  Capita  Consumption  of  PMUY  households  has  increased  from  3.01 refills (in terms of 14.2 Kg domestic LPG cylinders) in 2019-20 to 3.95 in 2023-24 to 4.40 ( on annualised basis) in 2024-25, upto December 2024.

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.

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