Lok Sabha Question No. 3253 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Expansion of Ujjwala LPG Connections
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Smt. Shambhavi, Shri Rajesh Verma, Shri Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal, Dr. Lata Wankhede

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3253 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 th  March, 2026

## Expansion of Ujjwala LPG Connections

3253. Smt. Shambhavi:

Shri Rajesh Verma:

Shri Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal:

Dr. Lata Wankhede:

## पेट Ō ोिलयम एवं Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũी

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

- (a)  the  details  of  the  number  of  new  LPG  connections  targeted  to  be  provided  under  the Ujjwala  scheme  including  plans  to  distribute  twenty  five  lakh  additional  connections  to eligible households;
- (b) the details of the criteria used to identify beneficiaries and ensure inclusion of low-income and underserved households;
- (c)  the  details  of  the  measures  being  taken  to  ensure  timely  delivery,  installation  and sustained usage of LPG connections among new beneficiaries;
- (d) whether awareness campaigns and support mechanisms are being provided to encourage safe usage and refills, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for the same; and
- (e)  the  manner  in  which  this  expansion  aligns  with  broader  Government  objectives  of reducing indoor pollution, improving health outcomes and enhancing energy access equity?

## ANSWER

## पेट Ō ोिलयम एवं Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũालय मŐ राǛ मंũी ( ŵी सुरे श गोपी )

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

(a): 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 was completed during July  2024.  Government  has  recently  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.

(b): Adult woman from a poor household who doesn't have an existing LPG connection in her  family  may  apply  under  the  scheme  by  submitting  the  KYC  application  form  and Deprivation  Declaration  along  with  the  required  documents,  to  establish  eligibility  in  line with  the  prescribed  criteria.  As  on  01.03.2026,  there  were  about  10.56  crore  PMUY connections across the country.

(c):  To  ensure  the  timely  availability  of  LPG  refills,  LPG  consumers  including  PMUY beneficiaries  can  book  a  refill  by  various  methods  including  Interactive  V oice  Response System(IVRS),  Short  Message  Service(SMS),  Whatsapp,  calling  directly  on  the  phone  of distributor, e-commerce platforms, OMC mobile applications and OMCs web-portals.These different options provide enhanced user accessibility for seamless and hassle-free booking of LPG refills.

As  on  01.03.2026,  there  are  a  total  of  25,605  LPG  distributorships  operating  across  the country,  out  of  which  17,677  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 8037 distributorships, during 01.04.2016 to 28.02.2026 across the country, out of which 7444 (i.e. 93 %) are catering to rural areas.

(d):  In  order  to  encourage  sustained  usage  and  address  the  issue  of  low  refill  consumption among PMUY beneficiaries, 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  and  Education  and  Communication  (IEC)  Vans  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. Government has taken several steps to encourage consumption of LPG by  PMUY beneficiaries,  Swap option from 14.2  kg to 5  Kg  to  reduce upfront cash outgo, option  of  5  Kg  Double  Bottle  Connection,  Conducting  Pradhan  Mantri  LPG  Panchayat  to convince the beneficiaries to use LPG on sustained basis, mass awareness camps etc.

Further, a 'Basic Safety Check' campaign was organised during March, 2024 to December, 2024  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 (A V) 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.

To make LPG more affordable to PMUY consumers and ensure sustained usage of LPG by PMUY consumers, for FY 2025-26, Government is providing targeted subsidy  of Rs.300/per 14.2 kg cylinder for upto 9 refills of 14.2 Kg cylinder (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 Kg connections) to the PMUY consumers. As a result of various steps taken by Government to improve access and affordability of domestic LPG for PMUY consumers, Per Connection Consumption of PMUY beneficiaries  (in  terms of  no.  of  14.2  kg  LPG  cylinders  taken  per year)  has  increased  from  3.68  (FY  2021-22)  to  4.83  in  FY  2025-26  (Prorated  based  on consumption during Apr-Jan 26).

(e):  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 by IIT Kanpur 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.

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