New Delhi, Jan 7 : The number of LPG connections for household kitchens in the country has more than doubled to 32.83 crore, as of November 1, 2024, from 14.52 crore in 2014, according to the year-end review of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas released on Tuesday. As many as 10.33 crore LPG connections have been released under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for poor families who get the cooking gas at a subsidised price. Since the inception of the Scheme, about 222 crore LPG refills have been delivered to the PMUY households as about 13 lakh refills are being taken daily, according to the official statement.A targeted subsidy of Rs. 300 per cylinder is being given to all Ujjwala beneficiaries. "The Government's efforts have led to an uptick in LPG consumption by Ujjwala families. The per capita consumption in the number of 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinders has gone up from 3.01 in 2019-20 to 3.95 in 2023-24. In the current year, which is still under progress, the per capita consumption has reached 4.34 (pro-rata basis refills till October 2024)," the statement explained. As of November 2024, around 30.43 crore LPG consumers are enrolled under the government PAHAL scheme that directly transfers LPG subsidies to the bank accounts of beneficiaries who earn an income of less than Rs 10 lakh per annum. To date, more than 1.14 crore customers have given up their LPG subsidy under the 'GiveltUp' campaign, the statement said.

Since 2014, the number of LPG distributors has increased from 13,896 to 25,532 as on November 1, 2024, enhancing the availability of cooking gas for consumers. More than 90 per cent of new distributors are catering to rural areas, the statement added. The year-end review also highlighted that the length of operational Natural Gas Pipeline in the country has also increased from 15,340 km in 2014 to 24,945 km in 2024 making the environment-friendly fuel available to more consumers. The development of about 10,805 km Natural Gas Pipeline is under execution. With the completion of these pipelines, the national gas grid would be completed and would connect all major demand and supply centres in India. This would ensure easy availability of natural gas across all regions, the statement said.

As many as 307 Geographical Areas have been earmarked for the development of city gas distribution (CGD) infrastructure for piped cooking gas and fuelling vehicles. The potential coverage of about 100 per cent of the country area and 100 per cent of the population is being targeted. As on September 30, the total number of piped gas connections and CNG Stations in the country was 1.36 crore and 7,259, respectively, the review added.

/IANS