Diwali festival is near. Given this festival, different states of the country are working on a plan to distribute free LPG cylinders. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has started distributing free LPG cylinders to 1.86 crore families of the state on the occasion of Diwali. Similarly, the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also announced to distribution of LPG cylinders for free.
All eligible women in Andhra Pradesh will start getting free LPG cylinders from October 31 i.e. Diwali day. Similarly, the scheme of giving free LPG cylinders by the government in Uttarakhand has been extended till the year 2027.
Who will get the benefit
In most states, the benefit of free LPG cylinders is being given only to those people who are beneficiaries of PM Ujjwala Yojana. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was started in the year 2016.
Under this scheme, the target of issuing 8 crore connections was achieved in September 2019. To cover the remaining poor families, PMUY Phase-2 (Ujjwala 2.0) was launched in August 2021.
With this, 1.60 crore Ujjwala 2.0 connections were issued by January 2023. Further, in September 2023, the government approved the issuance of an additional 75 lakh PMUY connections.
Oil marketing companies (OMCs) have completed the issuance of these 75 lakh PMUY connections by 8 July 2024. As of July 2024, there are 10.33 crore LPG connections under PMUY.
Cylinder is cheaper by Rs 300
Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries get a cylinder cheaper by Rs 300 than general customers. In March this year, the government approved the continuation of a subsidy of Rs 300 on a 14.2 kg cylinder till March 2025.
The total expenditure for the financial year 2024-25 will be Rs 12,000 crore. The subsidy is deposited directly into the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries.
In which states is the benefit being available
Uttar Pradesh: The UP government has announced to give free gas cylinders to 1.86 crore families on Diwali.
Andhra Pradesh: Here all eligible women will start getting free cylinders from October 31.
Uttarakhand: The free gas cylinder scheme has been extended till 2027 in this state.