New Delhi, Aug 22 (KNO): The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has informed the Lok Sabha that a total of 12,69,306 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) connections have been distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
This includes 2,87,658 connections provided to beneficiaries belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, said Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
The question pertained to the coverage of BPL, SC, and ST families under PMUY across India, including in the state of Bihar.
PMUY was launched in May 2016 with the objective of providing deposit-free LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, with the broader aim of promoting clean cooking fuel access across rural and underprivileged segments.
The initial target of eight crore connections was achieved in September 2019. Subsequent phases of the scheme — including Ujjwala 2.0 — have expanded this target further. As of August 2025, over 10.33 crore connections have been provided nationwide.
The Ministry also acknowledged that while some beneficiaries face difficulties in refilling cylinders due to affordability concerns, targeted subsidies have been introduced to mitigate this.
As of July 2025, the effective price of a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder for PMUY consumers has been reduced to Rs 553, following a direct subsidy of Rs 300 per cylinder provided by the Government of India. This initiative is aimed at ensuring continued affordability of clean cooking fuel, especially for economically disadvantaged households.
The scheme has been lauded for its multi-dimensional impact. It has significantly reduced indoor air pollution, particularly benefiting the health of women and children, and has led to a decline in dependence on traditional biomass fuels.
Moreover, it has contributed to improved nutrition outcomes and time savings for women in rural households, enabling greater participation in economic and social activities—(KNO)