Parliament Question: Ujjwala 2.0 and One Nation, One Gas Grid

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.- 2684 ANSWERED ON- 16/03/2026 UJJWALA 2.0 AND ONE NATION, ONE GAS GRID 2684 # SHRI MITHLESH KUMAR: SHRI KESRIDEVSINH JHALA: SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL: SHRI BRIJ LAL: SHRI AMAR PAL MAURYA: SHRI NARAYANA KORAGAPPA: DR. MEDHA VISHRAM KULKARNI: SHRI DEEPAK PRAKASH: SHRI ASHOKRAO SHANKARRAO CHAVAN: SHRI NARHARI AMIN: SHRI BABURAM NISHAD: Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:- (a) the manner in which the introduction of the 'Deprivation Declaration' simplified the enrollment process in the Ujjwala scheme for those poor families who were previously excluded from the scheme; (b) whether the integrated pipeline tariff (One Nation, One Grid, One Tariff) successfully reduced regional gas price disparities, particularly for industrial units in Northeast and South India; (c) if so, the details thereof; (d) whether Government has assessed the average annual LPG cylinder refill consumption among PMUY beneficiaries; and (e) if so, the measures being taken to increase the refill uptake rate among such beneficiaries? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI) (a): PMUY was launched in May, 2016 with an objective to provide deposit free LPG connection to adult women from poor households. As per earlier applicable provisions of PMUY, every applicant was required to submit a 14-point declaration, derived from the exclusion criteria of SECC 2011, along with KYC application form. While 14-point declaration was a standalone eligibility category, it was also required to be submittedas a part of the application process by all applicants, even for other categories, and hence had redundancy into the eligibility process. Accordingly, the 14-point declaration was reviewed and has been replaced with a revised Deprivation Declaration in the recently approved extension of PMUY scheme wherein 25 lakh more connections have been sanctioned. With an objective to reduce redundancy, enhance inclusivity, and simplify the process, the eligibility criteria in this phase has beensimplified to a single category—adult women from poor households based on submission of Deprivation Declaration. (b) & (c): Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), has rationalised the Unified Tariff by reducing tariff zones from three to two and notified transportation tariffs of Rs. 54/MMBTU for Zone-1 (up to 300 km) and Rs. 102.86/MMBTU for Zone-2 (beyond 300 km), effective from 01.01.2026. This reform improves affordability and equity in access to natural gas across the country including for industrial units in the North East and Southern India. (d): Yes, LPG consumption of PMUY beneficiaries is monitored regularly through PPAC’s Consumption reports, Common LPG Data Platform (CLDP) and reviews with OMCs. The current Per Connection Consumption of PMUY beneficiaries (in terms of no. of 14.2 kg LPG cylinders taken per year) is 4.83 refills which has improved significantly from 3.68 refills in FY 2021-22. (e): Government has taken several steps to encourage LPG use among PMUY beneficiaries, such as ease of refill booking through IVRS, SMS, WhatsApp, distributor calls, e-commerce platforms, OMC apps, and web portals for hassle-free access, the option to switch from 14.2 kg to 5 kg cylinders, 5 kg double bottle connections, LPG Panchayats, and awareness campaigns.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. ********