(M.P)
Delhi tops the list of the average subsidised domestic cooking gas refill consumption under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was the highest at 8.12 cylinders followed by Chandigarh (7.45 cylinders), Pondicherry (6.67 cylinders), and Mizoram (6.22 cylinders). The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameswar Teli in a written reply mentioned in the Rajya Sabha on Monday and informed that the State/UT-wise details of average refill consumption of PMUY beneficiaries for the last three financial years. At the same time, the lowest refill consumption of 2.57 cylinders of 14.2 kg was recorded in Chattisgarh.
The scheme, launched on May 1, 2016, aims to safeguard the health of women and children, covering 715 districts initially. Under this government scheme, cash assistance is given to the beneficiaries to get a deposit-free new connection thereby helping improve energy access. Also, the connections are given in the name of the women heads of the households.
“The Government has taken several steps to encourage better consumption of LPG by PMUY beneficiaries, which include deferment of loan recovery from subsidy amount, swap option from 14.2 kg to 5 Kg to reduce upfront cash outgo, option of 5 Kg Double Bottle Connection (DBC), conducting Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat to convince the beneficiaries to use LPG on a sustained basis, mass awareness camps, upto 3 free refills to PMUY beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Package from April to December 2020 etc,” the minister mentioned in his reply.
The Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) also released 7.88 lakh 5 Kg connections to PMUY beneficiaries. This apart, 7.1 lakh PMUY beneficiaries have availed of the swapping facility and shifted to a 5 kg cylinder, data showed.
Further, the government informed that as per the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Control Order 2015, the licenses to the Fair Price Shop (FPS) owners are issued by the respective states/UTs keeping in view the viability of the FPSs and they are empowered to allow the sale of commodities other than the food grains distributed under the TPDS at the FPS to improve the viability of fair price operations. Whereas Maharashtra, Goa and Rajasthan have already allowed the FPSs to sell Mini LPG cylinders, the minister said.
India has 28.74 crore LPG consumers as of 1 January 2021, with the PMUY. However, the non-subsidized domestic cooking gas price has been increased in the backdrop of the finance ministry slashing the allocation for petroleum subsidy by two-thirds to Rs.12,995 crore for FY22.
