Lok Sabha Question No. 194 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-01-29
Subject: Expansion of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Naranbhai Chudasama, Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Shri Bhojraj Nag, Smt. Sanjna Jatav, Shri Rahul Singh Lodhi

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 194 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 th  January, 2026

## Expansion of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

194. Shri Rajesh Naranbhai Chudasama:

Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant: Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor: Shri Bhojraj Nag: Smt. Sanjna Jatav: Shri Rahul Singh Lodhi:

## पेůोिलयम एवं ÿाक ृ ितक गैस मंýी

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

- (a)  the  target  set  for  issuance  of  connections  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Ujjwala  Yojana (PMUY);
- (b)  the  total  number  of  beneficiaries  covered  under  the  PMUY  across  the  country  as  of December 2025 particularly in Kanker, Balod, Dhamtari and Keshkal districts of Chhattisgarh,  Dahod  district  of  Gujarat  and  South  Mumbai  Lok  Sabha  Constituency  of Maharashtra;
- (c) the details of the approval of the Government accorded in September 2025 for providing twenty  five  lakh  additional  Liquefied  Petroleum  Gas  (LPG)  connections  and  the  progress made so far in their distribution;
- (d) the total number of connections issued to persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of South Mumbai Lok Sabha Constituency of Maharashtra;
- (e) the impact of improved LPG coverage under the PMUY on the reduction of respiratory illnesses and indoor air pollution-related health conditions;
- (f) the initiatives taken by the Government to ensure safety, including initiatives relating to free inspections and replacement of LPG hoses (pipes) and that needy beneficiaries receive gas connections in adequate quantity;
- (g) the total number of distribution networks available across the country under the said scheme along with the number of networks out of them available in rural areas; and
- (h) the current status of E20 fuel availability at retail outlets in Dahod district?

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  (c):  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 which was achieved by July 2024.

Government has approved the release of 25 lakh additional LPG connections under PMUY during Financial Year 2025-26 to clear pending applications and achieve saturation of LPG access in the country.Government has approved an expenditure of ₹676 crore for the release of  these  connections,  which  includes  ₹512.5  crore  for  providing  25  lakh  deposit-free connections at the rate of ₹2,050 per connection, ₹160 crore for targeted subsidy of ₹300 per 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder (for up to nine refills per year, proportionately pro-rated for 5 kg  cylinders),  and  ₹3.5  crore  towards  project  management  expenses,  transaction  and  SMS charges,  Information,  Education  &  Communication  (IEC)  activities,  and  administrative expenditure.Out  of  these  25  lakh  new  connections,  as  of  01.01.2026,  OMCs  have  already released 10.35 lakh connections.

The details of PMUY beneficiaries are not maintained at Constituency/Taluk level, however, district  wise  details  in  respect  of  Kanker,  Balod,  Dhamtari  and  Kondagoan  (constitute Keshkal Tehsil) districts of Chhattisgarh, Dahod district of Gujarat and Mumbai City are as under.

| District, State          | Number of PMUY connections   |
|--------------------------|------------------------------|
| Kanker, Chhattisgarh     | 1,06,364                     |
| Balod, Chhattisgarh      | 1,14,550                     |
| Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh   | 1,41,224                     |
| Kondagoan, Chhattisgarh  | 90,133                       |
| Dahod, Gujarat           | 2,58,597                     |
| Mumbai City, Maharashtra | 175                          |

Source: IOCL on behalf of PSU OMCs

(d) Out of total 175 PMUY connections in Mumbai City, a total of 24 connections belongs to SC/STs beneficiaries.

(e):  Prior  to  the  launch  of  Pradhan  Mantri  Ujjwala  Yojana (PMUY), LPG coverage  in  the country was about 62%. With the implementation of PMUY, near-universal LPG coverage has  now  been  achieved.  As  on  01.01.2026,  more  than  10.43  crore  women  from  poor households are receiving benefits under PMUY.

PMUY  scheme  has  had  a  significant  positive  impact  on  the  lives  of  rural  households, especially  women  and  families  in  rural  and  remote  areas  including  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.

A study conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) highlighted that in 2019 the estimated annual average ambient air quality (PM2.5) levels of major Indian states were in the range of 5-16 μg/m³ under the business-as-usual scenario (without PMUY), whereas with the implementation of PMUY, the levels were estimated to be in the range of 4-8 μg/m³. This  indicates  that  PMUY  has  a  positive  implication  for  both  household  and  ambient  air pollution.

Further, an evaluation of PMUY conducted byIITKanpur across six states found that indoor air  quality  during  cooking  hours  were  nearly  twice  as  good  in  households  using  LPG cylinders compared to low-LPG and traditional chulha-using households. The analysis of the PMUY survey carried out as part of this evaluation clearly demonstrates the health benefits of LPG usage under PMUY, especially for primary cooking persons.

(f):  Public  Sector  Oil  Marketing  Companies  (OMCs)  ensure  that  LPG  connections  are released after satisfying and meeting all the safety norms stipulated for installation of LPG connections.  Provisions, norms and steps taken to ensure compliance with safety standards while providing connections in all areas are as under

(i) Grant  of  approval  for  manufacturing  units  of  LPG  cylinders,  valves  and  LPG regulators and design of these equipment, licensing of storage premises, cylinder testing and filling etc. is regulated under Gas Cylinder Rules 2016.

(ii) Safe  usage  of  LPG  cylinders  by  Domestic  LPG  consumers,  including  PMUY beneficiaries  are  governed  under  Liquefied  Petroleum  Gas  (Regulation  of  Supply  and Distribution) Order 2000.

(iii) LPG cylinders are periodically tested for safety as per norms of the Chief Controller of Explosives, Petroleum & Explosive Safety Organisation(PESO).

(iv) Supply of a laminated safety card with pictorial depictions of do's and don'ts related to LPG connection to every PMUY beneficiary at the time of releasing LPG connections. Installation of LPG connection at premises of the customer by a trained mechanic.

(v) Organisation of Safety Clinics by distributor to spread awareness about safety aspects of LPG. Dedicated round the clock helpline number (1906) for immediate action in case of LPG leakage complaints.

(vi)  Organisation  of  mass  awareness  programs  on  safe  usage  of  LPG  through  audiovideo/print media, banners/hoardings, leaflets, pamphlets, etc.

(vii)  Organisation  of  Pradhan  Mantri  LPG  Panchayats  in  villages  to  spread  awareness about safe  and sustained usage of LPG amongst PMUY beneficiaries.

To  improve  awareness  amongst  LPG  consumers,  a  Basic  Safety  campaign  was  organised during March, 2024 to December, 2024 across the country under the theme 'Khushiyan Ab Teen Guna' with the objective of reaching the doorsteps of domestic LPG customers. The campaign was designed to educate consumers on the safe usage of LPG, complemented by extensive mass awareness initiatives through print and electronic media, on-site safety checks at  customer  premises,  and  the  replacement  of  Suraksha  hoses.  The  campaign  achieved significant  progress  with  over  12.12  crore  free  basic  safety  checks  conducted  at  customer premises  without  any  cost  to  consumer  and  more  than  4.65  crore  LPG  hoses  replaced  at discounted rates. Additionally, audio-visual (AV) materials were utilized during various field safety initiatives, such as LPG Panchayats and LPG Safety Clinics in schools, as well as for general  public  outreach.  These  AVs  were  also  shared  across  social  media  platforms  to maximize reach and impact.Special emphasis was laid on covering PMUY beneficiaries and low-income  group  customers,  to  ensure  safe  usage  of  LPG  and  adequate  availability  of connections.

(g): As on 01.01.2026, there are a total of 25,596 LPG distributorships operating across the country,  out  of  which  17,668  distributorships  are  serving  rural  areas.  These  are  served through  214  LPG  bottling  plants  of  Oil  Marketing  Companies  (OMCs)  located  across  the country.  In  order  to  improve  access  of  LPG  in  rural  and  remote  areas,  OMCs  have commissioned 8027 distributorships, during 01.04.2016 to 31.12.2025 across the country, out of which 7434 (i.e. 93 %) are catering to rural areas.

(h): At present, 85 Retail Outlets the of PSU OMCs are serving the Dahod district of Gujarat and all are dispensing E20 fuel.

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