Executive Summary:
The response addresses challenges in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), launched in May 2016 to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women from poor households. As of July 1, 2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections. The government has taken steps to improve LPG access, affordability, and usage among PMUY beneficiaries, including targeted subsidies and expanding distribution networks.
Key Points / Main Content:
PMUY Overview and Coverage:
* Launched in May 2016 to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women from poor households.
* As of 01.07.2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country.
* LPG coverage has improved from 62% in April 2016 to near saturation.
Awareness and Enrollment Initiatives:
* Organizing campaigns, melas/camps, and using OOH hoardings, radio jingles, and IEC Vans to improve awareness about PMUY.
* Spreading awareness about the advantages and safe usage of LPG through LPG Panchayats and enrolment/awareness camps.
* Facilitating Aadhar enrolment and opening bank accounts for PMUY connections.
Steps to Encourage LPG Consumption:
* Deferring loan recovery from subsidy amounts.
* Offering a swap option from 14.2 kg to 5 kg cylinders and a 5 kg Double Bottle Connection to reduce upfront costs.
* Conducting Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayats and mass awareness camps.
* Per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries has increased from 3.68 (FY 2021-22) to 4.47 (FY 2024-25).
* LPG consumption is monitored through PPAC reports, CLDP, and meetings with OMCs.
Affordability Measures:
* Targeted subsidy of Rs. 200 per 14.2 kg cylinder (up to 12 refills) introduced in May 2022.
* Subsidy increased to Rs. 300 per cylinder in October 2023.
* Effective price of a 14.2 Kg LPG cylinder in Delhi for PMUY consumers is Rs. 553 after the subsidy.
Distribution Network Enhancement:
* As of July 01, 2025, there are 25,573 LPG distributorships, with 17,646 serving rural areas, supported by 213 OMC bottling plants.
* 7997 distributorships commissioned from 01.04.2016 to 30.06.2025, with 7403 catering to rural areas (Rurban, Gramin, Durgam Kshetriya Vitraks, and Rajiv Gandhi Gramin LPG Vitrak RGGLV).
Impact Analysis
PMUY Beneficiaries:
* Impact: Increased access to clean cooking fuel, reduced health hazards from traditional fuels, financial relief through subsidies.
* Action Required: Enroll in PMUY, utilize available subsidies and schemes, participate in awareness programs to ensure safe and sustained LPG usage.
Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs):
* Impact: Increased demand for LPG, expansion of distribution networks, monitoring and reporting on LPG consumption.
* Action Required: Expand distribution networks, especially in rural areas; participate in awareness campaigns; monitor LPG consumption patterns and report data to PPAC and CLDP.
Government:
* Impact: Improved health outcomes, reduced environmental impact, increased LPG coverage across the country.
* Action Required: Continue monitoring PMUY implementation, provide subsidies, and support awareness campaigns to promote sustained LPG usage.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana PMUY: A government scheme launched in May 2016 to provide deposit-free Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) connections to adult women from poor households across the country.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas LPG: A clean cooking fuel provided under the PMUY scheme.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas: The government ministry responsible for matters related to petroleum and natural gas.
Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra: A government initiative involving enrolment/awareness camps for facilitating Aadhar enrolment and opening of bank accounts for getting PMUY connections.
Delhi: The location where the effective price of a 14.2 Kg LPG cylinder after subsidy is mentioned.
Oil Marketing Companies OMCs: Companies involved in the distribution and supply of LPG, working in collaboration with the PMUY scheme.
Common LPG Data Platform CLDP: A platform used to monitor LPG consumption of PMUY beneficiaries.
Rajiv Gandhi Gramin LPG Vitrak DKVRGGLV: A type of LPG distributorship catering to rural areas.
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 783
TO BE ANSWERED ON 24th July, 2025
Challenges in implementation of PMUY
783. Shri K E Prakash:
पे(cid:282)ो(cid:871)लयम एवं (cid:292)ाकृ(cid:467)तक गैस मं(cid:287)ी
Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is aware of the challenges in the implementation of the Pradhan
Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), including limited supply chain infrastructure in remote areas,
affordability barriers to regular Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) refilling and gaps in monitoring
or audit systems and if so, the details thereof; and
(b) the steps being taken by the Government to strengthen distribution networks, improve refill
affordability, enhance digital monitoring and audit mechanisms to ensure sustained adoption of
clean cooking fuel among poor households across the country?
ANSWER
पे(cid:282)ो(cid:871)लयम एवं (cid:292)ाकृ(cid:467)तक गैस मं(cid:287)ालय म(cid:581) रा(cid:207)यमं(cid:287)ी
((cid:302)ी सुरेश गोपी)
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
(SHRI SURESH GOPI)
(a) & (b): 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. As on 01.07.2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country.
Implementation of PMUY is monitored closely in terms of number of eligible beneficiaries
identified and the actual number of connections released vis-a-vis LPG coverage in
States/Districts. Despite the initial difficulties faced by OMCs which were mainly related to the
identification of households, difficult terrain, low awareness on usefulness of LPG etc. , LPG
coverage in the country has improved from 62% in April 2016 to near saturation now.In order to create awareness about the scheme and also to address any issue pertaining to LPG
usage, 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, Education and
Communication (IEC) Vans etc., 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, 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, Conducting Pradhan Mantri LPG
Panchayat to convince the beneficiaries to use LPG on sustained basis, mass awareness camps
etc. As a result of these efforts, per capita 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 4.47 in FY
2024-25.
Further, LPG consumption of PMUY beneficiaries is monitored regularly through PPAC’s
Consumption reports, Common LPG Data Platform (CLDP) and meetings with OMCs.
Consumption of domestic LPG by households depends on several factors like food habits,
household size, cooking habits, tradition, flavor, taste, preferences, price, availability of alternate
fuels etc.
To make LPG more affordable to PMUY consumers and ensure sustained usage of LPG by
them, Government started a targeted subsidy of Rs.200/- per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills
per annum (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 Kg connections) to the PMUY consumers in May
2022. In October 2023, Government increased the targeted subsidy to Rs.300 per 14.2 kg
cylinder. After a targeted subsidy of Rs. 300/cylinder to PMUY consumers, Government of India
is providing 14.2 Kg LPG cylinders at an effective price of Rs.553 per cylinder (in Delhi). This
is available to more than 10.33 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries, across the country.
As of July 01, 2025, there are a total of 25,573 LPG distributorships across the country, out of
which 17,646 are serving rural areas. These are served through 213 LPG bottling plant of Oil
Marketing Companies (OMCs) located across the country. In order to improve access of LPG in
rural and remote areas, OMCs have commissioned 7997 distributorships, during 01.04.2016 to
30.06.2025 across the country, out of which 7403 (i.e. 93 %) [Rurban- 1033, Gramin- 4991,
Durgam Kshetriya Vitraks and Rajiv Gandhi Gramin LPG Vitrak (DKV+RGGLV) - 1379] are
catering to rural areas.
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