New Delhi, July 28 : At least 10.33 crore LPG gas connections have been distributed under the Pradhanmantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) across the country (as of July 1), the Parliament was informed on Monday.

The PMUY, launched in May 2016, aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to 8 crore women from poor households across India, which was achieved by September 2019, Suresh Gopi, Minister of State of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

To extend the coverage, Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in August 2021 with a target of 1 crore additional connections, which was met by January 2022, the minister added.

An additional 60 lakh connections were later added and achieved by December 2022, and further, 75 lakh more connections were approved and completed by July 2024, the minister stated.

To create awareness about the scheme and also to address any issues about LPG usage, OMCs regularly conduct LPG Panchayats for the customers.

Government has taken several steps to encourage better consumption of LPG by PMUY beneficiaries, which include deferment of loan recovery from subsidy amount, Swap option from 14.2 kg to 5 Kg to reduce upfront cash outgo, option of 5 Kg Double Bottle Connection, Conducting Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat to convince the beneficiaries to use LPG on sustained basis and mass awareness camps, etc, the minister informed.

To make LPG more affordable to PMUY consumers and ensure sustained usage of LPG by them, the government started a targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per annum to the PMUY consumers in May 2022.

In October 2023, the Government increased the targeted subsidy to Rs 300 per 14.2 kg cylinder. After a targeted subsidy of Rs 300/cylinder to PMUY consumers, the Government of India is providing 14.2 Kg LPG cylinders at an effective price of Rs 553 per cylinder in Delhi, as per the reply.

LPG consumption of PMUY beneficiaries is monitored regularly through PPAC's Consumption reports, Common LPG Data Platform (CLDP) and meetings with oil marketing companies (OMCs).

Various independent studies and reports have shown that the PMUY scheme has had a significant positive impact on the lives of rural households, especially women and families in rural and remote areas, the minister said.

/IANS