Centre extends subsidy of 200 LPG cylinders

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Centre extends subsidy of 200 LPG cylinders

The Centre said on Friday it would extend LPG cylinder subsidy of 200 under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana for another year. The subsidies were approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, where around 9.6 crore families will be benefitted from the move, according to Union minister Anurag Thakur.

The move was taken on the back of the high prices of petroleum products in the international market.

The Centre introduced the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in May 2016 to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women in poor households. Thakur said that the total expenditure will be Rs 6,100 crore for the financial year 2022 -- 23 and Rs 7,680 crore for 2023 -- 24. The subsidy is directly credited to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries who can use it to buy LPG cylinders. There were 9.59 crore PMUY beneficiaries as of March 1, 2023.

The government said it is important to ensure sustained LPG adoption and use among PMUY consumers so that they can switch to cleaner cooking fuel. The average LPG consumption of PMUY consumers has increased by 20 per cent in the past two years. It was 3.01 refills in 2019 -- 20 and 3.68 refills in 2021 -- 22.

The price of a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder was raised by Rs 50 from March 1. The domestic cylinder in Delhi costs Rs 1,103 per cylinder. A 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder has been increased by Rs 350.50, which is now for Rs 2119.50 in the Delhi-NCR region.