Context: Recently, the government, through its flagship Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, has extended clean cooking fuel benefits to 103.3 million households as of the end of 2023-24, as per Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell data.

PM Ujjwala Yojana

• Launched: May 2016.
• Ministry: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Objective: To make clean cooking fuel such as LPG available to the rural and deprived households that were otherwise using traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, coal, cow-dung cakes, etc.
• Target: LPG connections to 5 crore women members of BPL households.
• Expansion: The scheme was expanded in April 2018.
• Beneficiaries: Women beneficiaries from 7 more categories- SC/ST, PMAY, AAY, Most backward classes, tea garden, forest dwellers, and Islands.
• Expansion of Beneficiaries: About 10.27 crore beneficiaries are set to benefit from the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
• Subsidy Structure: Initially, a targeted subsidy of ₹200 per cylinder for up to 12 refills annually was provided to PMUY consumers.

oIn October 2023, the subsidy was increased to ₹300 per cylinder for the same refills per year.

• Increased Consumption: The average LPG consumption among PMUY consumers has risen by 29% from 3.01 refills in 2019-20 to 3.87 refills (till January 2024) pro-rated for 2023-24.

oAll PMUY beneficiaries are eligible for the targeted subsidy based on their increased consumption.

Data of Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC)

• Domestic PNG Connections in India: As of February, domestic PNG connections in the country reached 12.56 million according to PPAC data.
• Government's Target: The government aims for 125 million PNG connections by 2030, encompassing both rural and urban areas.
• Regional Disparities: Haryana and Himachal Pradesh exhibit the lowest number of PNG connections, with only 48 households having access to piped gas in the entire region.
• Regions with No Connections: Six regions reported no PNG connections at all, including Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Karnataka, Puducherry, Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh.