The Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, defended the government’s decision to lower the number of subsidised LPG cylinder refills under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana from nine to four annually. Puri explained that the move was a response to some beneficiaries misusing the scheme by not genuinely needing the additional cylinders. He emphasized that if a household does not require more than four cylinders a year, providing extra subsidised refills is unjustified.
Puri stated that the decision was made based on credible information that many Ujjwala beneficiaries were either selling the cylinders for commercial use, diverting them, or reselling them for profit. The government’s assessment of the scheme’s utilisation pattern revealed instances of misuse, leading to the reduction in the number of subsidised refills.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana aims to provide economically weaker households with clean cooking fuel through LPG connections and subsidised refills. During the discussion, Puri also commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governance model, urging the opposition to embrace a development-focused approach similar to the Prime Minister’s leadership. He highlighted that voters have consistently supported the BJP government under PM Modi due to its emphasis on development and effective implementation of initiatives.
