- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has decided to increase the subsidy from Rs. 200 per 14.2-kg cylinders for up to 12 refills per year to Rs. 300 per bottle.
- Under the Ujjwala scheme, a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder will now cost Rs. 603 for beneficiaries as against the current Rs. 703.
- This decision will benefit around 9. 6 crore families.
- In August, the government reduced the 14.2-kg LPG refill price by Rs. 200.
- Rs. 6,100 crore was provided as Ujjwala subsidy in 2022-23. It has increased to Rs. 7,680 crore in fiscal year 2023-24.
- Recently, oil companies have also increased the price of commercial LPG by Rs. 209.
- The government has recently expanded the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) till the financial year 2026.
- India imports about 60 per cent of its liquefied petroleum gas requirement. The price of LPG globally has increased by more than 300 per cent since April 2020.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
- It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016.
- Its main objective is to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women from poor households.
- It helps in providing clean fuel to women, especially in rural areas.
- It reduced the number of deaths due to respiratory illness.