Centre hikes LPG subsidy for Ujjwala beneficiaries by Rs. 100
The Centre on Wednesday raised Ujjwala subsidy from Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 per LPG cylinder. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said, "This will bring relief to crores of women." The cylinder price under the scheme came down to Rs. 603. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a welfare program launched in 2016 to provide women access to clean cooking fuel.
Watch: Union Minister Thakur making announcement
Ujjwala beneficiaries to get total discount of Rs. 500/cylinder
The Ujjwala beneficiaries will now be able to get a total discount of Rs. 500 per LPG cylinder in the country. They will receive a subsidy of Rs. 300 under the scheme and an additional benefit of Rs. 200 following a recent price cut of domestic LPG cylinder. Notably, the Centre reduced domestic cylinder prices by Rs. 200 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
Cabinet approved 75 lakh new gas connections recently
Furthermore, the Union Cabinet approved 75 lakh new gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojana in August. The decision comes at a time when the central government had reportedly been reviewing the past subsidy that was being provided for cooking gas. The subsidy follows years of a halt on price cuts due to high import prices for crude oil.
What is Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana?
The scheme was launched in May 2016 with the intention of making clean cooking fuels, such as LPG, accessible to rural and deprived households. Such households were previously using conventional cooking fuels like firewood, coal, and cow-dung cakes, which have adverse health and environmental impacts. Over 10 crore LPG connections have been issued under the program so far.
Commercial LPG prices raised by Rs. 209/cylinder on October 1
On October 1, the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), a government-owned oil and gas company, hiked the price of commercial LPG cylinders by Rs. 209. The new retail price for a 19-kg commercial cylinder is Rs. 1,731.50 in Delhi. However, the cost of domestic LPG remains the same. LPG is commonly used for a variety of purposes, including motor fuel and cooking gas.
