Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

Need

In India, the poor have limited access to cooking gas (LPG). The spread of LPG cylinders has been predominantly in the urban and semi-urban areas with the coverage mostly in middle class and affluent households. But there are serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuels. According to WHO estimates, about 5 lakh deaths in India alone due to unclean cooking fuels. Most of these premature deaths were due to non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. Indoor air pollution is also responsible for a significant number of acute respiratory illnesses in young children. According to experts, having an open fire in the kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour.

Providing LPG connections to BPL households will ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in the country. This measure will empower women and protect their health. It will reduce drudgery and the time spent on cooking. It will also provide employment for rural youth in the supply chain of cooking gas.

Target beneficiaries

Under the scheme, an adult woman belonging to any of the following categories, is an eligible beneficiary under the expanded scheme.

• SC Households
• ST Households
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin)
• Most Backward Classes
• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
• Tea and Ex- Tea Garden tribes
• Forest Dwellers
• People residing in Islands and River Islands
• SECC Households (AHL TIN)
• Poor Household as per 14-point declaration
• Applicant must have attained 18 years of age.
• There should not be any other LPG connections in the same household.

Release of LPG connection under this Scheme shall be in the name of the women belonging to the BPL family.

Benefits to the citizens

Cash assistance for PMUY connections is provided by Government of India - Rs. 1600 (for a connection 14.2kg cylinder/ Rs. 1150 for a 5 kg cylinder). The cash assistance covers:

• Security Deposit of Cylinder – Rs. 1250 for 14.2 kg cylinder/ Rs. 800 for 5 kg cylinder
• Pressure Regulator – Rs. 150
• LPG Hose – Rs. 100
• Domestic Gas Consumer Card – Rs. 25
• Inspection/ Installation/ Demonstration charges – Rs. 75

Additionally, All PMUY beneficiaries will be provided with first LPG refill and Stove (hotplate) both free of cost along with their deposit free connection by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

Implementation modalities of the scheme

• A woman of the BPL household, which does not have access to LPG connection may apply for a new LPG connection to the LPG distributor. For online application, click here.
• While submitting the application form, the woman will submit the following details
  • Know Your Customer (KYC)
  • Ration Card issued by the State from which application is being made/ other State Govt. document certifying family composition/ Self-Declaration as per Annexure I (for migrant applicants)
  • Aadhaar of beneficiary and adult family members appearing in document at Sl. 2
  • Proof of Address - Aadhaar will be taken as Proof of Identity and Proof of Address if the connection is required in the same address. In that case only Aadhaar is sufficient.
  • Bank Account Number and IFSC 
• The LPG Field officials will match the application against SECC - 2011 database and, after ascertaining their BPL status, enter the details (name, address etc) into a dedicated OMC Web portal through a login/ password given by the OMCs
• OMCs will undertake electronically the de-duplication exercise and other measures for due diligence for a new LPG connection
• The connection shall be issued by the OMC to the eligible beneficiaries (after completion of various stages above).
• While the connection charges would be borne by the Government, the OMCs would provide an option for the new consumer to opt for EMIs, if she so desires, to cover the cost of a cooking stove and first refill. The EMI amount may be recovered by the OMCs from the subsidy amount due to the consumer on each refill; In case the State Government or a voluntary organization or an individual wishes to contribute the cost of a stove and/or first refill, they would be free to do so in coordination with the OMCs. However, this would be under the overall umbrella of PMUY and no other Scheme name/ tagline would be allowed without express approval of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG)
• OMCs will also organize Melas' at various locations for release of connections to BPL families. This will be done in the presence of public representatives and distinguished personalities of the area.
• The scheme will cover BPL families under all forms of distributorship and for various sizes of cylinders (like 14.2 kg, 5 kg, etc.) depending on f the field situation.