Govt hikes LPG subsidy for PM Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries

New Delhi: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday announced that the government had raised the subsidy amount for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries from ₹200 to ₹300 per LPG cylinder.

Ujjwala beneficiaries currently pay ₹703 per 14.2-kg cylinder as against the market price of ₹903. After the decision of the Union Cabinet, they will now pay ₹603.

Briefing the media after a meeting of the union cabinet, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that the subsidy amount on LPG cylinders for the Ujjwala beneficiaries has been increased by ₹100.

“During the past nine years, a lot of development work has been done for the welfare of women and the poor. Last month, on the eve of Rakshabandhan, when the prices of domestic LPG were reduced by ₹200, it reached about ₹900. However, for the Ujjwala beneficiaries, it was ₹700,” he said.

The government had in August reduced the price of 14.2 kilogram LPG cooking gas cylinder by ₹200. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri had said that the government would bear the cost of the promised ₹200 price decrease on household cooking gas cylinders, relieving the oil marketing companies of the impending loss of ₹7,500 crore.

To mitigate the impact of domestic consumer inflation, the Union Cabinet announced a price reduction on LPG on August 29. Oil marketing companies (OMCs) initially expressed apprehension about the Centre’s decision, which they projected would have a financial impact of close to ₹7,500 crore. (Agencies)