(HT)
The Centre may consider a higher subsidy for families refilling cooking gas cylinders under its welfare scheme Ujjwala, which offers free cooking gas connections to poor households.Enhancing the subsidy is one of the options before the central government, which has received feedback to the effect that in many states the refill rate of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders is less than optimal, senior government officials said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. A final decision will be taken only after a new government takes charge following the Lok Sabha elections that are under way. The model code of conduct is in place for the duration of the elections that end on May 19, preventing any announcement in the interim that may be interpreted as a sop to the electorate.
Ujjwala subscribers don’t receive any extra subsidy for refilling their gas canisters beyond the normal discount of around Rs 217 per refill per month. “The subsidy amount also changes from time to time, depending on the market price of the cylinders,” said a senior official. The government has so far released 71.9 million Ujjwala connections across 714 districts since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the scheme in May 2016.
