Parliament Question: Status of PMUY in Tamil Nadu

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2020 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31th July, 2025 Status of PMUY in Tamil Nadu

2020. Shri Malaiyarasan D: पे(cid:7069)ोिलयम एवं (cid:7079)ाकृितक गसै मं(cid:7074)ी

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

(a) the current status of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in terms of the total number of LPG connections released, beneficiaries covered and geographic reach across Tamil Nadu;

(b) the number of beneficiaries who have actively refilled LPG cylinders after receiving connections and the steps being taken by the Government to ensure sustained usage of clean cooking fuel among low-income households;

(c) whether the Government has conducted any assessment on the impact of PMUY on reducing indoor air pollution and improving health outcomes in rural and tribal areas and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the measures being undertaken by the Government to address challenges such as refill affordability, supply chain issues and awareness gaps among beneficiaries to increase effective utilization of the yojana? ANSWER पे(cid:7069)ोिलयम एवं (cid:7079)ाकृितक गसै मं(cid:7074)ालय म(cid:7286) रा(cid:6996)यम(cid:7074)ं ी ((cid:7088)ी सरु ेश गोपी) 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 woman from poor households across the country.

As on 01.07.2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country including 40.98 lakh connections in state of Tamil Nadu. District-wise details of PMUY connections in Tamil Nadu are at Annexure- A.(b): In Tamil Nadu, 99.50% of total PMUY customers have taken refills after installation of their connections, as of 01.07.2025.

(c): Various independent studies and reports have shown that PMUY scheme has had a significant positive impact on the lives of rural households, especially women and families in rural and remote areas. Some key benefits are briefly explained below:

(i) PMUY had resulted in a shift from traditional cooking methods that involve burning solid fuels like wood, dung and crop residues. The use of cleaner fuel lowers indoor air pollution, leading to improved respiratory health, particularly among women and children who are traditionally more exposed to household smoke.

(ii) Households in rural areas, especially those in remote locations, often spend a significant portion of their time and energy in collecting traditional cooking fuels. LPG has reduced drudgery and the time spent on cooking by women of poor households. The free time, thus, available with them can be utilized in multiple spheres for enhanced economic productivity.

(iii) Transition from biomass and traditional fuels to LPG reduces the dependency on wood and other biomass for cooking purposes, leading to a decrease in deforestation and environmental degradation. This benefits not only the households but also contributes to broader environmental conservation efforts.

(iv) With improved cooking facilities, there is a potential positive impact on nutrition.

Families may find it easier to cook a variety of nutritious meals, contributing to better overall health.

(d): 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 create awareness and enhance LPG usage, various steps have been taken inter alia, including organizing campaigns, organizing melas/camps to enroll and distribute connections, promotion through Out of Home (OOH) hoardings, radio jingles, Information, Education andCommunication (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 Aadhaar 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, to make LPG more affordable to PMUY consumers, Government is providing a targeted subsidy of Rs. 300 per 14.2 kg cylinders. LPG consumption by PMUY households in the Tamil Nadu has increased from 217.52 Thousand Metric Tonnes (TMT) (FY 2022-23) to 279.9 TMT (FY 2024-25). Also, per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries in Tamil Nadu has increased from 4.28 (FY- 2022-23) to 4.81 (FY- 2024-25).

As of 01.07.2025, there are a total of 25,573 LPG distributorships across the country, including which 1652 in state of Tamil Nadu. 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. *******Annexure-A Annexure referred to in part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2020 to be answered on

31.07.2025 regarding “Status of PMUY in Tamil Nadu” asked by Shri Malaiyarasan D.

District-wise details of connections under PMUY Scheme in Tamil Nadu – As on 01.07.2025 District Number of PMUY Connections Ariyalur 72,184 Chengalpattu 1,22,872 Chennai 32,730 Coimbatore 46,793 Cuddalore 2,54,010 Dharmapuri 1,13,164 Dindigul 1,48,070 Erode 1,16,599 Kallakurichi 92,640 Kancheepuram 67,988 Kanniyakumari 88,714 Karur 54,129 Krishnagiri 1,21,558 Madurai 1,60,043 Mayiladuthurai 67,675 Nagapattinam 49,595 Namakkal 1,27,689 Perambalur 44,611 Pudukkottai 1,73,264 Ramanathapuram 1,49,922 Ranipet 99,870 Salem 2,02,207 Sivaganga 89,670 Tenkasi 86,469 Thanjavur 1,38,037 The Nilgiris 18,331 Theni 67,449 Thiruvallur 1,20,331 Thiruvarur 1,14,755 Thoothukkudi 1,02,088 Tiruchirappalli 1,51,817 Tirunelveli 72,404 Tirupathur 75,070 Tiruppur 54,946 Tiruvannamalai 2,15,330 Vellore 1,22,433 Viluppuram 1,42,873 Virudhunagar 1,19,895

Source: IOCL on behalf of PSU OMCs