Syllabuss: 

GS2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

Context: 

The government has approved the continuation of targeted subsidies for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana consumers for the year 2025-26.

More on the News

• The government will provide a targeted subsidy of 300 rupees per 14.2-kilogram cylinder for up to nine refills per year. 
• According to the Cabinet decision, over 10 crore 33 lakh households have benefited under the scheme with, an estimated cost of over 12 thousand crore rupees.
• The government has also approved compensation amounting to ₹ 30 thousand crore to the three Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies, including IOCL, BPCL and HPCL.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

• PMUY was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG). It is a flagship scheme of the government to provide clean cooking fuel (LPG) to rural and deprived households.
• It aimed to serve households using traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, coal, and cow-dung cakes.
• It is intended to reduce the detrimental health effects on rural women and environmental damage caused by traditional fuels.

Ujjwala 2.0: 

• Additional allocation of 1.6 crore LPG Connections under the PMUY scheme, with special facility for migrant households. 
• The target number of connections under Ujjwala 2.0 was achieved during Dec’22, thus taking overall connections under the scheme to 9.6 crore.

Benefits: 

• Rs. 1600 for a connection 14.2 kg cylinder or Rs. 1150 for a 5 kg cylinder. 
• Additionally, all PMUY beneficiaries will receive the first LPG refill and a stove, both free of cost, along with their deposit-free connection.
• Priority would be given to the states which have lower LPG coverage (Compared to the national average) as on 1st Jan 2016.
• Women in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been the biggest beneficiaries of PMUY.

Eligibility: 

• An adult woman from a poor household and does not have an LPG connection in her household will be eligible if she belongs to any of the following categories:
• Belongs to SC/ST households, be a beneficiary of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Forest dwellers, Most Backward Classes (MBC), Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes, People residing in river islands.
• If she does not fall into the above 2 categories, she can stake her claim eligibility as a Poor household by submitting a 14-point declaration. 

Global Recognition of the Scheme

• International Energy Agency said it is a “major achievement” in improving the environment and the health of women.
• A 2018 WHO report stated that Ujjwala Yojana has provided 37 million women, living below the poverty line, with free LPG connections to support them to switch to clean household energy use.

Sources:

https://www.newsonair.gov.in/govt-approves-rs-12000-cr-targeted-lpg-subsidy-for-ujjwala-yojana-in-2025-26/