Parliament Question: Expansion of LPG coverage under PMUY in Maharashtra and Gujarat

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3494 ANSWERED ON - 23/03/2026 EXPANSION OF LPG COVERAGE UNDER PMUY IN MAHARASHTRA AND GUJARAT 3494 DR. MEDHA VISHRAM KULKARNI:

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has expanded LPG coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during 2025-26 in the States of Maharashtra and Gujarat;

(b) if so, the number of new LPG connections provided and the present level of LPG coverage in rural and urban areas of these States;

(c) whether the Saksham 2025-26 campaign was conducted to promote fuel conservation and efficient energy usage; and

(d) if so, the outcomes thereof and the steps taken by Government to further expand access to clean cooking fuel? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

(a): 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. As on

01.03.2026, there were about 10.56 crore PMUY connections across the country including

52.60 lakh connections in the state of Maharashtra and 43.92 lakh connections in the state of Gujarat.

(b) to (d): Government has recently approved the release of 25 lakh additional LPG connections under PMUY during Financial Year 2025-26 to clear pending applications and achieve saturation of LPG access in the country. As on 01.03.2026, under this extension, around 0.48 lakh LPG connections have been released in Maharashtra and around 0.87 lakh LPG connections have been released in Gujarat.

Prior to the launch of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), LPG coverage in the country was about 62%. With the implementation of PMUY, near-universal LPG coverage has now been achieved. Further, Per Connection Consumption (in terms of no. of 14.2 kg LPG cylinders taken per year) of PMUY beneficiaries (more than 80% of which comprise rural households) has increased from 3.68 in FY 2021-22 to 4.80 refills in FY 2025-26 (Prorated based on consumption during Apr-25 to Feb-26).

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have immensely improved the distribution infrastructure for domestic LPG. As of 01.03.2026, there are 25,605 LPG distributorships in India, including 17,677 in rural areas, serving by 214 LPG bottling plants of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). To improve LPG access in rural and remote areas, 8,037 distributorships were commissioned between April 2016 and February 2026, of which 7,444 (93%) serve ruralregions. Details of No. of LPG distributorships serving in Urban and Rural areas in the state

of Maharashtra and Gujarat are given below:

State Distributors serving in Urban area Distributors serving in Rural area Total Maharashtra 421 621 1042 Gujarat 1010 1230 2240

Source: IOCL on behalf of PSU OMCs To make LPG more affordable to PMUY consumers and ensure sustained usage of LPG by PMUY consumers, for FY 2025-26, Government is providing targeted subsidy of Rs. 300/- per 14.2 kg cylinder for upto 9 refills of 14.2 Kg cylinder (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 Kg connections) to the PMUY consumers.

Saksham is the annual flagship programme of Oil Industry Public Sector Undertakings

(PSUs), aimed at promoting energy conservation and sustainability among the public. During the period from 1st to 15th February 2026, the programme was observed across the country with the theme “Conserve Oil & Gas, Go Green.” ********