The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana holds a significant place among the central government’s social welfare schemes. This scheme aims to provide clean fuel to economically weaker families. Beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana receive domestic LPG cylinders at a price ₹300 lower than that for regular consumers. For example, in Delhi, where a gas cylinder costs ₹853 for regular customers, families under the Ujjwala scheme get the same cylinder for ₹553. This significantly reduces household expenses during these times of inflation.
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Scheme Launched in 2016
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in May 2016. Its main objective was to provide LPG connections to families living in rural and backward areas who were previously dependent on traditional fuels like wood, coal, or cow dung. The government initially set a target of providing 8 crore LPG connections by March 2020, which was achieved ahead of schedule in September 2019.
Ujjwala 2.0 Benefits Migrant Families
Following the success of the first phase, the government launched Ujjwala 2.0. This new phase specifically targeted migrant workers and families living temporarily in different locations. It provided for 1.6 crore additional LPG connections, which were completed by December 2022. This brought the total number of connections under the Ujjwala scheme to 9.6 crore.
Continuous Expansion of the Scheme
Subsequently, the government decided to issue 75 lakh new connections between the financial years 2023-24 and 2025-26, which were completed by July 2024. With this, the total number of LPG connections under the Ujjwala scheme reached 10.35 crore. The government recently approved the provision of 2.5 million new connections, bringing the total target under the scheme to 106 million connections. The process of issuing these new connections is currently underway.
Continuous Increase in LPG Consumption
According to a report by CRISIL Intelligence, there has been a significant increase in LPG consumption in the country. While LPG consumption was 21.6 million tonnes in FY 2016-17, it increased to approximately 31.3 million tonnes in FY 2024-25. It is projected to reach 33 to 34 million tonnes in the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26.
The report also indicates an increase in the number of cylinder refills by Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries. In 2016-17, an average family refilled 3.9 cylinders annually, while this figure rose to approximately 4.5 cylinders in 2024-25. On the other hand, the annual refill rate for non-Ujjwala households has remained relatively stable at 6 to 7 cylinders over the past five years.