Union Cabinet extends subsidy of 200 rupees per cylinder for 12 refills annually for Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries for one year

New Delhi: In a major relief to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has extended the subsidy of two hundred rupees per LPG cylinder for a period of one year. As on 1st March this year, there are nine crore 59 lakh Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries. 

Briefing media in New Delhi on 24th March 2023, Friday after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, that the subsidy of two hundred rupees per LPG cylinder will be provided to the beneficiaries for up to 12 refills per year.  He said, there has been a sharp increase in international prices of LPG due to various geopolitical reasons and it is important to shield Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries from high LPG prices. 

Mr Thakur said, the total expenditure on it



in 2022-23 will be six thousand 100 crore rupees and in 2023-24 will be seven thousand 680 crore rupees.

   

Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies namely Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited have already been providing this subsidy since the 22nd of May last year. The subsidy is credited directly to the bank accounts of the eligible beneficiaries. 

The average LPG consumption of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana consumers has increased by 20 percent from 3.01 refills in 2019-20 to 3.68 in 2021-22. To make Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) available to rural and deprived poor households, Government had launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in May 2016, to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women of poor households.