Parliament panel seeks study on LPG consumption among Ujjwala beneficiaries

With over 10 crore PMUY households and targeted subsidies of up to ₹300 per cylinder, the committee has urged steps to boost usage and promote smaller 5 kg and 10 kg cylinders.
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KAMAL NARANG

The parliamentary standing committee on petroleum and natural gas has favoured a detailed study to identify the reasons behind a significant jump in LPG cylinder consumption among Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries.

The views are part of the action taken report of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas’ (MOPNG) demand for grants for FY26.

The consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by PMUY beneficiaries has risen in the past few years due to the various steps taken by the government, the panel noted.

The per capita consumption (in terms of 14.2 Kg cylinder per year) has increased from 3.68 cylinders (FY 2021-22) to 3.95 in FY 2023-24, and 4.47 in FY 2024-25.

Currently, India has approximately 33.07 crore active domestic LPG consumers, of whom roughly 10.33 crore receive subsidised cylinders under the PMUY.

The committee, in its original report, had urged the government to encourage the use of 5 kg and 10 kg LPG cylinders for PMUY beneficiaries.

From the Ministry’s reply, it may be seen that per capita consumption of 14.2 kg of cylinders in FY25 is almost the same as in FY21.

“The Committee feels that a detailed study may help understand the reasons as to why there has not been any significant increase in consumption of PMUY gas cylinders in spite of incentives being given by the Government,” it added.

Panel’s nudge

The panel, therefore, wishes to be apprised of the steps taken to enhance per capita LPG consumption among PMUY beneficiaries and to encourage the issuance of 5 kg and 10 kg cylinders, it said.

Launched in May 2016, PMUY aims to provide a deposit-free LPG connection to adult women from poor households. The target to release 8 crore connections under PMUY was achieved in September 2019.

To cover the remaining poor households, Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in August 2021 with a target to release 1 crore additional PMUY connections, which was achieved in January 2022.

Subsequently, the government decided to release 60 lakh additional LPG connections under Ujjwala 2.0, and the target of 1.60 crore Ujjwala 2.0 connections was also achieved in December 2022.

Further, the government approved the release of an additional 75 lakh connections under the PMUY Scheme for the period FY24 to FY26, which was achieved in July 2024.

State support

Since the launch of PMUY till FY23, the government has borne an expenditure of up to ₹1,600 per PMUY connection for Security Deposit (SD) for the Cylinder, Pressure Regulator, Suraksha Hose, DGCC booklet, and installation charges.

From FY4, this expenditure has been increased to ₹2,200 per connection for 14.2 Kg Single Bottle Connection/5 kg Double Bottle Connection & ₹1,300 per connection for 5 Kg Single Bottle Connection.

To make LPG more affordable for PMUY consumers and ensure sustained LPG usage, the MoPNG introduced a targeted subsidy of ₹200 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per year (proportionately prorated for 5 Kg connections) in May 2022.

In October 2023, it increased the targeted subsidy to ₹300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per year.

Published on December 18, 2025