Union Minister Anurag Thakur announced that the Indian government has increased the LPG subsidy for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per cylinder, according to ET.
In September, the Union Cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved an additional 75 lakh LPG connections for women under the Ujjwala scheme.
Thakur stated that the 75 lakh LPG connections would be provided over the next three years at a financial cost of Rs 1650 crore.
The Ujjwala 2.0 scheme currently provides a free first refill and stove to beneficiaries. One month ago, the Union Cabinet also reduced the prices of LPG cylinders by Rs 200, providing relief to citizens. The targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per cylinder for Ujjwala households will continue, and the effective price in Delhi for Ujjwala beneficiaries after this reduction will be Rs 703 per cylinder.
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There are over 31 crore domestic LPG consumers, including 9.6 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries.
In May 2016, Prime Minister Modi initiated the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Ballia, UP. Its main goal is to provide rural households with cooking fuel, specifically LPG. The scheme primarily targets women from below the poverty line (BPL) households, SC/ST communities, beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY), forest dwellers, and other disadvantaged groups.
The decision to offer additional subsidies to Ujjwala beneficiaries comes ahead of upcoming assembly polls in five states. The states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana will all hold polls in 2023.
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