LPG Cylinder Price Cut by Rs 200, PMUY Beneficiaries Get Additional Subsidy
New Delhi: In a major relief to millions of consumers, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday slashed the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders for household use by Rs 200 per cylinder for all consumers in India. The price of a 14.2-kg cooking gas cylinder has been reduced by 18%, from Rs 1,100 to Rs 900.
The decision was taken as a gift for the occasions of Onam and Raksha Bandhan, which are being celebrated across the country this week. The Cabinet also approved an additional subsidy of Rs 200 per LPG cylinder for the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), a scheme that provides free gas connections to poor households.
This means that the PMUY beneficiaries will get a total reduction of Rs 400 per cylinder, from Rs 800 to Rs 400. The financial implication of this additional subsidy is estimated to be Rs 7,680 crores for 2023-24. The Cabinet also announced that 75 lakh new gas connections will be given under the PMUY scheme.
The Ujjwala scheme was launched in 2016 to encourage poor households, particularly those in rural areas, to shift to LPG from conventional fuels such as wood, coal, and biomass. The scheme aims to provide clean cooking fuel access to economically disadvantaged women and empower them. As of August 2023, over 9.6 crore women have benefited from the Ujjwala scheme.
The cut in LPG prices and the additional subsidy under the Ujjwala scheme have been welcomed by many people, especially women, who have expressed their gratitude and happiness on social media. Some have also shared hilarious memes and jokes about the gas cylinder price cut.
One user posted a picture of herself holding a gas cylinder and wrote, "Thank you Modi ji for this wonderful gift. Now I can cook more delicious food for my family." Another user shared a meme of a man dancing with a gas cylinder and captioned it, "Me after hearing the news of LPG price cut." A third user tweeted, "LPG price cut is the best thing that happened in 2023. Now I can save some money and buy more chocolates."
