(FE)
A year and half after the launch of the Modi government’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the average rate of LPG cylinder refills by the beneficiaries stands at an annual 3.7 per connection issued. Though this is lower than the national average of around 7.5 refills annually for 2016-17, analysts said the PMUY refill rate doesn’t indicate any unravelling of the scheme. Among the states, while Gujarat, Bihar and Uttarakhand are among the top with more than 4 cylinder refills a year, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have witnessed less than three refills a year per connection. PMUY was launched in May 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan and aims to put 5 crore LPG connections within three years in the kitchens of women belonging to the below-poverty-line (BPL) households as per the Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 data. The scheme has been a success as more than 3 crore connections have already been issued.
