The central government runs several schemes to support a large section of the population. One of the most important schemes is the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
Under this scheme, beneficiaries get LPG cylinder refills at a price ₹300 lower than regular consumers.
For example, in Delhi, the price of a domestic LPG cylinder for general consumers is ₹853, while Ujjwala beneficiaries get it for ₹553. This means eligible families save ₹300 on each refill.
Scheme Launched in 2016 and Expanded Over Time
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in May 2016. Its main aim was to provide LPG connections to families living in rural and backward areas.
The government initially planned to provide 80 million LPG connections by March 2020, a target that was achieved early in September 2019.
Later, Ujjwala 2.0 was introduced to provide 16 million additional LPG connections, mainly for migrant families. This target was completed in December 2022, taking the total number of connections to 96 million.
Under Ujjwala 2.0, the government also decided to provide 7.5 million more connections between FY 2023-24 and FY 2025-26, which was completed in July 2024. This raised the total number of LPG connections to 103.5 million.
Recently, the government approved 2.5 million more LPG connections, increasing the overall target to 106 million connections. The process of issuing these new connections is currently underway.
LPG Consumption Continues to Rise
According to a report by Crisil Intelligence, LPG consumption in India is expected to rise to around 31.3 million tonnes in FY 2024-25, compared to 21.6 million tonnes in FY 2016-17.
It is further projected to increase to 33–34 million tonnes in FY 2025-26.
The report also noted a steady rise in domestic LPG usage. The average annual refill for Ujjwala consumers is expected to increase from 3.9 cylinders in 2016-17 to about 4.5 cylinders in FY 2024-25.
Meanwhile, non-Ujjwala households have consistently used 6–7 cylinders per year over the past five years.
