LPG cylinder subsidy: The government today (October 4) hiked the subsidy paid to poor women who got cooking gas connections under the Ujjwala scheme, to Rs 300 per cylinder from the current Rs 200, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said.
Ujjwala beneficiaries currently pay Rs 703 per 14.2-kg cylinder as against the market price of Rs 903. After the decision of the Union Cabinet, they will now pay Rs 603.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an increase in subsidy amount for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per LPG cylinder. Briefing the media after a meeting of the union cabinet, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that the subsidy amount for the Ujjwala beneficiaries has been increased by Rs 100.
"During the past nine years, a lot of development work has been done for the welfare of women and the poor. Last month, on the eve of Rakshabandhan, when the prices of domestic LPG were reduced by Rs 200, it reached about Rs 900. However, for the Ujjwala beneficiaries, it was Rs 700," he added.
Ujjwala beneficiaries will now be eligible for an additional subsidy of Rs 100 per cylinder. The Union Cabinet had in August cut LPG domestic gas cylinder prices by Rs 200 for all consumers. In Delhi for instance, the decision brought down the cost of a 14.2 kg cylinder from the existing Rs 1,103 per cylinder to Rs 903.
The Union Cabinet had last month approved the extension of PMUY for release of 75 lakh LPG connections over three years from financial year 2023-24 to 2025-26. The 75 lakh additional Ujjwala connections will take total number of PMUY beneficiaries to 10.35 crore.
The decision on additional subsidy for Ujjawala beneficiaries has come ahead of assembly polls in five states. Elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh and Telangana will be held by the end of this year.
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