India Gets 17 Crore New LPG Connections In Last 9 Years
Active domestic LPG consumers have increased from 14.52 crore (2014) to 31.36 crore (2023). 17 crore new LPG connections were created in the last 9 years.
According to official data on Thursday, the consumer base for cooking gas has doubled to 31.26 crore in the past 9 years, with a record 17 crore new LPG connections being added. This has provided clean fuel for millions of homes across the country.
The number of active domestic LPG consumers has gone up from 14.52 crore in April 2014 to 31.36 crore in March 2023.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has played a crucial role in this significant increase, with LPG coverage increasing from 62% in 2016 to 104.1% in 2022.
Prior to this scheme, getting a new LPG connection could take 7-10 days and even longer for delivery of a refill, but now they are available on demand, and refills can be availed of partially within 24 hours in most places.
In addition to the 14.2 kg cylinder, state-owned fuel retailers have introduced 5-kg cylinders for consumers with lesser demand or purchasing power.
PMUY was launched on May 1, 2016, with the aim of providing free cooking gas connections to poor households.
According to data as of January 30, 2023, the total number of connections released under PMUY is 9.58 crore.
On March 24, 2023, the Union Cabinet approved a subsidy of Rs. 200 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per year for PMUY beneficiaries.
The scheme provides deposit-free LPG connections to eligible households with financial assistance of Rs. 1,600 per connection.
Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) provide free LPG refills and gas stoves for the first time.
PMUY’s initial target was to provide LPG connections to 5 crore women from BPL households, but the scheme was expanded and the target was revised to 8 crore LPG connections.
To cover the remaining households under PMUY, Ujjwala 2.0 was launched on August 10, 2021, to provide an additional one crore LPG connections.
The Ujjwala 2.0 target was achieved on January 31, 2022. The per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries increased from 3.01 refills in 2019-20 to 3.66 refills in the financial year 2021-22, according to the data.
The implementation of PMUY has also created employment for one lakh people through the LPG distribution system.
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Finally, as part of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, more than 14 crore free LPG refills were provided to PMUY beneficiaries during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
