PM Ujjwala Yojana: LPG Cylinder Refills for Low-Income Families Surge in Five Years

Synopsis

The PM Ujjwala Yojana has seen a significant rise in LPG cylinder refills among low-income households, doubling in the last five years, with average annual consumption nearing four-and-a-half cylinders per beneficiary, as reported in Parliament.

Key Takeaways

PMUY has doubled LPG refills in 5 years.
10.33 crore connections as of March 2025.
Average consumption increased to 4.43 cylinders/year.
234.02 crore total LPG refills delivered since launch.
Ujjwala 2.0 launched to cover more households.

New Delhi, March 25 (NationPress) The overall count of refills of LPG cylinders by low-income households participating in the PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has seen a remarkable increase, doubling over the last five years. Furthermore, the average consumption of PMUY beneficiaries has escalated to nearly four-and-a-half cylinders annually, as per the data presented in Parliament.

As of March 1, 2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections nationwide. The number of refill cylinders associated with the scheme has seen a twofold increase within five years. A total of 41.95 crore refills were recorded during the first 11 months of the current financial year (FY25) up until February, compared to 39.38 crore refills in the complete 12 months of 2023-24, showcasing the success of the initiative, as reported by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The refills for the year 2019-20 were recorded at 22.80 crore, indicating a nearly 100 percent increase this financial year in comparison to five years earlier.

The government disclosed that the average consumption per PMUY beneficiary, measured in terms of 14.2 kg LPG cylinders, has grown from 3.68 in FY 2021-22 to 3.95 in FY 2023-24, and 4.43 in FY 2024-25 (up to January 2025). This improvement is attributed to various initiatives aimed at enhancing access to and affordability of domestic LPG for PMUY users.

Since the inception of PMUY, oil marketing firms have delivered a cumulative total of 234.02 crore LPG refills to PMUY customers, which includes the initial refill, up to February 2025. During FY 2024-25 (up to February 2025), approximately 12.6 lakh LPG refills (based on 14.2 kg cylinders) have been delivered daily by oil companies, as per government reports.

Launched in May 2016, PMUY aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women from economically disadvantaged households across the nation.

The target of distributing 8 crore connections was successfully achieved by September 2019. To extend support to the remaining low-income households, the second phase of the initiative, Ujjwala 2.0, was introduced in August 2021, resulting in 1.60 crore connections being released by January 2023.

In response to new applications, the government approved the distribution of an additional 75 lakh PMUY connections in September 2023. Public sector oil marketing firms completed the distribution of these connections by July 8, 2024.