21-Jul-2022: LPG Connections under PMUY

LPG consumption of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries is monitored on regular basis. Per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries has increased from 3.01 (FY 2019-20) to 3.66 (FY 2021-22). Further, the Government has taken several steps to encourage consumption of LPG by PMUY beneficiaries, which include announcement of subsidy of ₹ 200/- per 14.2 Kg refill upto 12 refills/year for PMUY beneficiaries for year 2022-2023, option of 5 Kg Double Bottle Connection (DBC), swap option from 14.2 kg to 5 Kg, upto 3 free refills to PMUY beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package from April to December 2020 etc.

20-Dec-2021: Average LPG refill consumption of PMUY beneficiaries

The Government has taken several steps to encourage better consumption of LPG by PMUY beneficiaries, which include deferment of loan recovery from subsidy amount, swap option from 14.2 kg to 5 Kg to reduce upfront cash outgo, option of 5 Kg Double Bottle Connection (DBC), conducting Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat to convince the beneficiaries to use LPG on sustained basis, mass awareness camps, upto 3 free refills to PMUY beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Package from April to December 2020 etc. Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have released 7.88 lakh 5 Kg connections to PMUY beneficiaries. Apart from this, 7.1 lakh PMUY beneficiaries have availed the swapping facility and shifted to 5 kg cylinder.

As per the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Control Order 2015, the licenses to the Fair Price Shop (FPS) owners are issued by the respective State Governments/UTs keeping in view the viability of the FPSs and they are empowered to allow sale of commodities other than the food grains distributed under the TPDS at the FPS to improve the viability of fair price operations. Accordingly, the States of Maharashtra, Goa and Rajasthan have already allowed the FPSs to sell Mini LPG cylinders. Department of Food and Public Distribution has further provided a common meeting ground to States/UTs and the Oil Marketing Companies to take the initiative of sale of Mini LPG Cylinders at FPS, forward.

16-Dec-2021: LPG Connections under PMUY

The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today informed that as on 01.12.2021, there are 30.21 crore LPG consumers including 8.8 crore LPG connections released under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) (PMUY Phase-I and Ujjwala 2.0). As on 01.12.2021, 35.1 % PMUY beneficiaries are from SC/ST categories.

In the current Financial Year (April-October, 2021), 84 % of PMUY beneficiaries, who had got LPG connections under PMUY-I, have come back for refill. The average consumption of PMUY beneficiaries during Financial Year 2019-20 was 3 refills of 14.2 kg which  has increased to 4.39 refills during Financial Year 2020-21.

World Health Organisation in its Press Release of 2 May 2018 had mentioned that “the Countries are taking measures to tackle and reduce air pollution from particulate matter. For example, in just two years, India’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme has provided some 37 million women living below the poverty line with free LPG connections to support them to switch to clean household energy use.”

2-Dec-2021: Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have released 78.98 lakh LPG connections under Ujjwala 2.0.

The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today informed that Prime Minister has launched Ujjwala 2.0 on 10th August, 2021 in Uttar Pradesh to release 1 crore deposit free LPG connection on pan India basis, in addition to 8 crore LPG connections already released under PMUY. Under Ujjwala 2.0, the beneficiaries are given deposit free LPG connection along with free first refill and stove, facility to apply online for new PMUY connection and special provision for migrant families to avail new connection using self-declaration as proof of address and family declaration.

As on 28.11.2021, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have released 78.98 lakh LPG connections under Ujjwala 2.0.

In addition to special provisions under Ujjwala 2.0, OMCs have taken several steps to encourage better consumption of LPG and reduce diversion and delay in supplies. These include deferment of loan recovery from subsidy amount for 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, upto 3 free refills to PMUY beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Package from April to December 2020, Aadhaar based deduplication, Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG subsidy, opening of new distributorships etc.

10-Feb-2021: Subsidy given up on LPG cylinders

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have reported that as on 01.02.2021, 1.08 crore LPG consumers have given up their subsidy.

The prices of petroleum products including LPG in the country are linked to the prices of respective products in the international market. However, the Government continues to modulate the effective price to consumer for Subsidised Domestic LPG and the consumers get the products at subsidised rate. The subsidy on Subsidised Domestic LPG increase/decrease with the increase/decrease in the product price in international market and decision of Government on subsidy.

21-May-2020: 6.8 Crore free LPG cylinders distributed among the PMUY beneficiaries so far

As part of the economic response to COVID-19, the Government of India has launched a pro-poor scheme “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package” (PMGKP), Under this scheme, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is providing free of cost LPG cylinders to over 8 crore PMUY beneficiaries for 3 months w.e.f 1.4.20. During April, 2020, Oil Marketing Companies(OMCs) have delivered 453.02 lakh cylinders to PMUY beneficiaries under PMGKP. As on 20.5.20, OMCs have delivered total 679.92 cylinders to PMUY beneficiaries under the package. The beneficiaries were given funds in advance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in their accounts, so that there was no difficulty in availing this facility. The Corona Warriors- personnel working in the supply chain of LPG cylinder delivery- have not only been ensuring timely supply of cylinders, but also creating awareness amongst the beneficiaries about the hygiene and various health guidelines.

16-May-2020: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan interacts with PMUY beneficiaries

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri. Dharmendra Pradhan today interacted with over 1500 PMUY beneficiaries, Gas distributors and OMC Officers across the country, through the webinar.

Shri Pradhan said that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has just completed four years of its successful journey, which has led to momentous improvement in the lives of over 8 crore poor and deprived families. The Minister said that Covid-19 has impacted all the nations of the world, and has not even spared the rich ones. India has been fighting the pandemic through various means. But at the same time, due care is being taken of the interests of poor and downtrodden, and a slew of relief and support measures have been announced. The Minister said in the initial days itself of the crisis, the Modi Government announced Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, and one of the important components was providing free gas cylinders for 3 months to the PMUY beneficiaries. He said that more than Rs 8432crore was transferred in advance  through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in their accounts, so that there was no difficulty in availing this facility. So far, over 6.28 Crore PMUY beneficiaries have got the free cylinders.

The Minister appreciated the role of OMC officials, for rising to the occasion in maintaining the production, import and distribution of LPG cylinders, during the crisis and enhanced demand. He said that compared to many other countries, India is in a better position in its fight against Covid-19. He said that the credit for this goes to the Prime minister for his bold and right decisions, and the people of the country who reposed their faith in his leadership, and followed the instructions issued by the Government like social distancing, washing hands, using masks, and so on. He said that time has now come to revive the economic activities and employment in the country. He expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister for coming out with Rs 20 Lakh Crore package for supporting the Indian economy in its fight against the Covid-19. He said that all the sectors of the economy and segments of the society are being provided relief under the package. He also welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement to launch Aatma Nirbhar Abhiyaan in the country, which will spur domestic manufacturing in the country, and make us self-reliant.

Later, the PMUY beneficiaries shared their experiences. They expressed gratitude to the government for taking care of them in this time of unprecedented crisis. Many of them reminisced as to how they were too poor to have afforded the gas connection in the first instance, and how the provisioning of the gas cylinder has transformed their lives. Many of them said that the availability of LPG cylinders in their homes has not only made their lives convenient, healthy, safe and secure, but also made them free from the drudgery of fuel collection and provided free quality time. Many of them conveyed that even now, they are getting the cylinder refills in very short period, thanks to the Corona warriors- people working in the supply chain of providing cylinders.

12-Apr-2020: About 85 lakh PMUY beneficiaries have got the LPG cylinder in April, 2020

Government of India has announced pro-poor initiatives under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, as part of economic response to Covid-19.  This is aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by poor due to economic disruption by Corona virus. As per this Yojana, free LPG Refills are to be provided to Ujjwala beneficiaries over the period of 3 months, from April to June 2020.

As on date, Oil Marketing Companies have initiated transfer of Rs 5,606 crore into 7.15 Crore PMUY beneficiary accounts for availing free delivery of LPG cylinder under the PMGKY. Booking of 1.26Crore cylinders has been done in this month by the beneficiaries, out of which about 85 lakh cylinders have been delivered to PMUY beneficiaries.

There are 27.87 Crore active LPG consumers in the country, with the PMUY beneficiaries accounting for over 8 crore. Since the lockdown, 50 to 60 lakh cylinders are being delivered daily in the country. When there is nationwide lockdown and the people are staying home to stay safe, LPG delivery boys and all those in the supply chain of LPG are working tirelessly to ensure that clean fuel reaches people directly at their homes.

From Mountainous terrain to backwaters, hamlets in deserts to habitations in forests, these Corona warriors are steadfast in their duties and ensuring timely delivery. Even in these trying times, the waiting period for cylinders at most of the places is less than 2 days. Oil marketing companies- IOCL, BPCL and HPCL have announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh each, as a one-time special measure, in the unfortunate case of demise of personnel like Show-room Staff, Godown-keepers, Mechanics and Delivery boys, attending duty in the LPG distributorship chain, due to the infection and impact of Covid-19.

All Customers, holding an installed LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana as of 31.03.2020, are eligible to get the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. The scheme has started from 1stApril2020 and will continue upto 30th June 2020. Under the scheme, the Oil Marketing Companies have been transferring an advance equal to the RSP of one 14.2 kg refill or one 5 kg refill depending upon the type of package to the linked bank account of PMUY customer. The customer can use this advance money to take LPG refill.

6-Mar-2020: PMUY is one of the Biggest Catalysts of Socio-Economic Change and Women Empowerment in Independent India

Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today said that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has been one of the biggest achievements towards women empowerment in independent India. Speaking at a workshop here today on PMUY, he said that in the last five years, we have more than doubled the number of LPG connections.

LPG coverage has increased from 55% to 97.4%.the scheme has acted as one of the biggest catalyst of socio-economic change in the status of women in the country.

Shri Pradhan said that household pollution has been a reason of health hazard, which has been curbed with the availability of safe and environment friendly LPG fuel to poor women of the society. However, the mission is yet not complete. “Behavioral change, further strengthening of supply chain, shift towards cleaner energy, are some of our key priorities. We are looking for innovative ways to increase refills, sustain adoption’, he added.

The Minister said that Climate change is a worry for the world. Energy is an important element of economic empowerment. “We are working on to ensure energy justice for all Indians. Energy affordability, sustainability, efficiency, security.  LPG should be the catalyst of socio-economic change.”

A large number of PMUY beneficiaries participated in the workshop, and exchanged the experiences, as to how their lives have improved substantially after the adoption of gas chulhas in their homes. The workshop has been organized, in connection with the ongoing international women’s day 2020 celebrations.

12-Dec-2019: CAG report says discrepancies in Ujjwala scheme data

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report noted, data analysis of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) revealed a mismatch between the names of 1.25 million beneficiaries and the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC-2011) data, based on which the beneficiaries were decided.

The report, tabled in Parliament, said a check in the field audit revealed that 784 (18 per cent of 4,348 KYCs verified) intended beneficiaries were used by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributors to extend benefits to “unintended persons”. The auditor also hinted at possible diversion of cylinders.

Risk of diversion of domestic cylinders for commercial use was noticed as 198,000 PMUY beneficiaries had an average annual consumption of more than 12 cylinders which seems improbable in view of their below-poverty-line status.

Similarly, 1.4 million beneficiaries consumed three to 41 refills in a month. Also, Indian oil corporation (IOCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation in 344,000 instances issued two to 20 refills in a day to a PMUY beneficiary having single bottle connection.

A violation of safety norms was reported during the test check of 18,558 KYC records as pre-installation inspection report was not available in 2,531 cases (13.64 per cent). Similarly, installation certificates were not available in 2,367 cases (12.75 per cent).

The report stated that at least 859,000 connections were released to beneficiaries who were minor, according to SECC-2011 data, which was in violation of PMUY guidelines and LPG Control Order, 2000. Further, IOCL software allowed the issue of 80,000 connections to beneficiaries aged below 18 years. It added the annual average refill consumption of 19.3 million PMUY consumers (who have completed more than one year as on March 31, 2018) was only 3.66 refills as worked out by the audit.

Similar analysis for 31.8 million PMUY beneficiaries as on December 31, 2018, revealed that refill consumption declined to 3.21 refills per annum.

6-Sep-2019: Release of 8 croreth PMUY connection by Hon’ble Prime Minister

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be handing over the 8 croreth connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) at an event which will be organised in Sendra, Aurangabad, Maharashtra on 7th September, 2019.

Government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) to provide 8 crore deposit free LPG connections to poor households in the country. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched PMUY on 1.5.2016 from Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, by handing over the first connection to the beneficiary. The Scheme aims to provide clean cooking fuel to poor households and replace the unhealthy conventional cooking fuels such as firewood, cow dung, etc. The use of LPG has its benefits on the health of women and children, environment and economic productivity of women.

Three State owned Oil Marketing Companies i.e. IOCL, BPCL and HPCL have implemented the Scheme in all the States/UTs of the country in a mission mode and achieved the target of 8 crore connections, seven months ahead of the timelines set (March 2020).

The States of Uttar Pradesh (1.46 crore), West Bengal (88 lakh), Bihar (85 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (71 lakh) and Rajasthan (63 lakh) have topped the list with highest number of beneficiaries under the PMUY. Nearly 40% of the beneficiaries belong to SC/ST categories. The implementation of PMUY has earned domestic as well as global appreciation at various Forums.

24-Jun-2019: 7.23 Crore Connections released under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

The Salient features of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana(PMUY) Scheme are as under :-

1. LPG connection is released in the name of adult woman of the poor family, subject to the condition that no LPG connection exists in the name of any family member of the household and fulfilling other terms and conditions.
2. Initially, the beneficiaries under PMUY were identified either from SECC list or from seven other identified categories. Subsequently, Government has extended the benefit to all left out poor families under PMUY subject to fulfilment of terms & conditions.
3. Under the Scheme, cash assistance upto Rs 1600/- for providing new LPG connection is provided by the Central Government.
4. The beneficiary bears the cost of Hot Plate and purchase of first refill. The beneficiary has the option to take Hot Plate or purchase first refill or the both on loan basis from OMCs at zero interest and the same is recovered through subsidy.

Year-wise details of targets fixed and achieved during the last three years are as under:-

Connection under PMUY is released to all eligible poor families and the scheme is under implementation across all the States/UTs and Districts.

OMCs have launched a website namely www.pmujjwalayojana.com, specially designated for PMUY Scheme, on which consumers can know about the Scheme, download form, know-how to apply for the connection, etc. A dedicated toll-free number 18002666696 has been set up to take enquiries, complaints and suggestions related to PMUY. Customer can also register their grievances online by visiting websites of OMCs, Public Grievance Portal of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Social Media platforms, Facebook, Tweeter, MoPNG e-Seva of the Ministry.

OMCs have reported 282 established cases of irregularities regarding distribution/delay in providing gas connections under PMUY. In all the established cases of irregularities by distributorships, action is taken against the concerned distributors as per Marketing Discipline Guidelines/Distributorship Agreement.

8-Mar-2019: Empowering Women, Changing lives : PM Ujjwala Yojana and Much More

Empowerment of women is closely linked with the country’s energy economy and this goal is driving investments in the entire value chain. As a measure towards empowerment of poor women in the country who are bereft of access to clean cooking gas, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the form of a social movement, enabling social change and irreversible empowerment of women.

Today we have achieved another milestone under PMUY Scheme by adding 7-croreth beneficiary in the Ujjwala family. Ujjwala yojana is empowering women to lead smoke-free lives, leading to a healthier lifestyle, saving them time by greatly reducing drudgery and enabling them to pursue other income enhancement and socially rewarding pursuits.

To take this initiative forward, Pradhan Mantri LPG panchayats as peer learning platforms, are providing support, catalysing behaviour changes in Ujjwala beneficiaries and also encouraging safe and sustainable use of LPG. As many as 87,876 LPG panchayats have been conducted across the country.

Ujjwala Didi, a CSR handholding initiative, aims at creating a force of 10,000 grassroot educators who can take the three messages till the last mile, viz. (i) Clean Cooking Fuel is to be universally available, (ii) Clean Cooking fuel is affordable and (iii) LPG is safe to use and insured. Ujjwala Didis will facilitate refill, address any fear around LPG safety, help in resolving any grievances and facilitate new connections. Thus these empowered women will contribute to overall women empowerment in their panchayats. Ujjwala Didis are a living testimony of the highest possibilities of inclusive development.

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been at the forefront in encouraging women to strive forward without fear or discrimination and promoting women in leadership roles in challenging environment and difficult remote locations including offshore platforms. At the world's highest Indane LPG bottling plant situated at 11,800 ft. in Phey Village of Ladakh district, it is women power that is playing a key role in the running of the plant. The plant is operated by 11 courageous Indian Oil women in very harsh weather conditions.

In an endeavour to provide better sanitation coverage and bridge gender disparity, the Ministry has proactively undertaken an action plan to provide separate toilet facilities at all retail outlets of Oil Marketing Companies. More than 37,000 ROs are already having separate toilet facilities for men and women.

Under the Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan, to reduce the drop-out rate among girl students due to non-availability of separate toilet facilities, Oil CPSEs/JVs have constructed more than 20,187 school toilets. These toilets are used by more than 5 lakh girl students. More than 95% of the toilets have been constructed in rural areas.

In an effort towards creating awareness on Menstrual Hygiene, CPSEs under Ministry of Petroleum, have taken initiatives towards installing sanitarily napkin vending machines and incinerators in various schools across India.

Recognizing the importance of women and their contribution to society, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas reaffirms its commitment for ‘economic empowerment’, ‘self-reliance’ and ‘social equality’ of women across the country.

7-Feb-2019: Ujjwala Utsav observed to celebrate the success of PMUY

Oil industry observed Ujjwala Utsav, celebrating the stellar role played by all stakeholders – District Nodal Officers, Policy makers, Distributors, and beneficiaries – in making Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) a resounding success.

The event was organised under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas to encourage, motivate as well as felicitate all frontline field force for their outstanding contribution to PMUY.

The occasion also saw the launch of the PMUY anthem – Ujjwala Bharat Ujjwala – composed and developed by eminent singer and film industry personality Padma Shri Kailash Kher. The PMUY anthem is available on online music platforms such as Amazon, Apple, Hungama, Wynk, Google Play, Saavn, and many others. The anthem  aims to reach the Ujjwala message to every household in the country by its powerful and inspiring rendition.

During the occasion, the top three performers in three states which garnered the highest LPG penetration figures i.e. J&K, Chhattisgarh and Assam, were acknowledged and the respective Oil Marketing Company officers in-charge of these states were felicitated. The 24 top performing district nodal officers were also felicitated on the occasion for their commendable work during Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan and Extended Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan in more than 50,000 villages pan India.

A compilation of experiences from select stake holders across PMUY spectrum was also released on the occasion.

3-Aug-2018: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana achieves 5 core mark

Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Sumitra Mahajan here today handed over 5 croreth LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) to Smt. Takrdiran of Delhi in the Parliament House.  Speaker Smt. Sumitra Mahajan while acknowledging the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and leadership of Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan appreciated the collective efforts of the officials of Ministry and the Oil Marketing Companies in achieving the target of 5 crores. Further, shared advantages of using LPG in terms of health benefits, time saved and ensuring safety of women.

Modi Government launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) on 1st May, 2016 and it is implemented by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas through its Oil Marketing Companies i.e., IOC, BPCL and HPCL through their network of distributors across the country. Through PMUY, initially, 5 crore BPL households were targeted for providing deposit free LPG connections to BPL households by 31st March,2019. In a record time of 28 months for its launch, PMUY achieved the initial target of providing 5 crores LPG connection to BPL households. In the current year, considering the huge success of the Scheme, target was revised to 8 crores with budgetary allocation of Rs 12,800 crore.

States of Uttar Pradesh (87 lakh), West Bengal (67 lakh), Bihar (61 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (45 lakh), Rajasthan (37 lakh) and Odisha (30 lakh) have accounted for nearly 65% of the connections provided. 47% of the beneficiaries are from the weaker sections of the society i.e., SC/STs.

PMUY has been recognised by World Health Organisation as one of the decisive intervention by the Government to address the Indoor Air Pollution which accounts for nearly 10 lakh deaths in a year in the country.

PMUY aims at providing clean-cooking fuel to the poor households, which are otherwise vulnerable to various health hazards associated with indoor air pollution and bringing in qualitative charges in the living standards. PMUY is under implementation in the all the States/UTs. Beneficiaries are identified through Socio-Economic Caste Census List-2011 and in such cases where names are not covered under SECC list, beneficiaries are identified from seven categories which includes SC/ST households, beneficiaries of PMAY(Gramin), Antyodaya Anna Yojana, Most Backward Classes, Forest Dwellers, Resident of Islands/River Islands and Tea Garden & Ex-tea Garden Tribes.

14-Apr-2018: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Launched in Telangana

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in the state of Telangana on the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar by the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship  Dharmendra Pradhan, in the presence of Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, MP. PMUY LPG connections were distributed to the BPL Women beneficiaries by the dignitaries on the stage.

PMUY has been a revolutionary initiative that has transformed the lives of more than 3.57 crore households spanning across the length and breadth of the country. The initiative is in line with Governments aim to eradicate energy poverty, thereby promoting economic empowerment.

The scheme has been impacting the lives of women from BPL families in a major way by reducing the drudgery of cooking with polluting fuels and will go a long way in reducing indoor pollution. Main mantra of PMUY is “Mahilaon Ko Mila Samman, Swachh Indhan Behtar Jeevan”. 

In order to educate the BPL families, Government is organizing ‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan’ from 14th April – 5th May across the country showcasing 7 schemes of the central government. He also announced that on 20th April 2018, ‘Ujjwala Diwas’ will be celebrated by way of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Panchayats at 15000 locations in which large number of PMUY LPG connections will be distributed. LPG Panchayats will focus on the key themes of Health, Economic cost, Safety, Environment and Empowerment. He conveyed that 20 Lakh connections will be distributed in the state of Telangana and for that the total distributorship will be raised from 700 to 1000 in the State in future.

The overwhelming response to the PMUY initiative and its efficient implementation & monitoring have led the Government to revise the initial target of releasing 5 crore connections to 8 crore by the year 2020. To achieve this enhanced target, additional categories have been included under extended Ujjwala scheme viz. SC, ST, Most BC, Antyodaya Anna Yojana etc.

7-Feb-2018: Cabinet approves enhancement of target under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved to enhance the target of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) from five crore to eight crore with an additional allocation of Rs. 4,800 crore. The decision comes in the wake of huge response to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) from the women particularly in rural areas and to cover such households not having LPG connection. The revised target of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) will be achieved by 2020.

While expanding the target, the Government has also addressed the practical difficulty faced in PMUY implementation, namely, genuinely poor households left out of Socio Economic Caste Survey (SECC) list. The Cabinet today approved to expand the Scheme to cover all SC/ST households, beneficiaries of PMAY (Gramin), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Forest dwellers, Most Backward Classes (MBC), Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes, people residing in Islands and rivers etc. in addition to SECC identified households.

The Government does not only announce schemes but is committed to their time-bound implementation. Under the PMUY, the original target was to release 3 crore connections by the end of FY 2017-18, but as a result of efficient scheme implementation and monitoring, more than 3.35 crore connections have been released till date across all States/UTs, largely benefitting SC/ST communities. In all, more than 4.65 crore applications have been received. In order to ensure smooth implementation of the Scheme, as the number of applications touches the 5 crore mark and on account of huge response from women, particularly in rural areas, the Cabinet has decided to enhance the target from 5 crore to 8 crore with an additional allocation of Rs. 4800 crore.

Background: Government of India is committed to provide clean cooking fuel through LPG to all the uncovered households in the country. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in May 2016 through which cash assistance is given to the beneficiaries to get a deposit-free new connection, Initially, PMUY envisaged a target of 5 crore connections with an allocation of Rs. 8000 crore over a period of 3 years starting from FY 2016-17. This is a part of the Government’s overall focus on ensuring energy access to all. Unelectrified villages are being electrified. To take the rural electrification vision forward, Saubhagya Yojana has been started to provide electricity connections to unconnected households and all households are likely to be covered by 31st December 2018. Over 28 crore LED bulbs have been distributed across India, both by Government and private agencies under the Mission Innovation Scheme of the Prime Minister.