Govt boosts cooking gas subsidy for PMUY beneficiaries to Rs 300

The Central government announced a substantial increase in the cooking gas subsidy for impoverished households enrolled in the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). The subsidy for a 14.2-kg cylinder has been raised by Rs 100, bringing the total subsidy to Rs 300. Official data indicates that currently, there are approximately 96 million households benefiting from the PMUY. Under this program, the average LPG refill rate for the 2022-23 periods stood at 3.71 cylinders per household. During a Cabinet decision briefing, Union Minister Anurag Thakur revealed, The government has augmented the subsidy for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries, increasing it from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per LPG cylinder. As a result of this decision, beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme, who previously paid Rs 703 for a 14.2-kg cylinder compared to the market price of Rs 903, will now only pay Rs 603. Notably, last month, the Union Cabinet had approved the expansion of the PMUY, aiming to include 75 lakh more impoverished households in the program over three years. This expansion plan is estimated to cost Rs 16.5 billion. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2016, was designed to provide LPG connections specifically to women from below poverty line (BPL) families. Since its inception, PMUY has significantly boosted LPG penetration in the country, raising it from 62% in 2016 to nearly universal coverage.