At the Clean Cooking Ministerial during the third edition of India Energy Week 2025, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri highlighted India’s remarkable achievement in ensuring clean cooking fuel reaches every household through the Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Puri confidently stated that such a feat is “easily doable” for other countries.
“This is something that is easily doable,” Puri remarked, sharing India’s success, which was propelled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. He emphasized that providing clean cooking fuel, such as LPG from refineries or biofuels, to every citizen could be accomplished quickly, calling it “within the realm of the doable.”
When Prime Minister Modi assumed office, the number of LPG connections in India was 14 crore, with a population of 1.4 billion. Today, that number has surged to 33 crore. Puri also informed the Lok Sabha that, since its launch in May 2016, PMUY has provided over 10.33 crore free LPG connections to households in need.
PMUY aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women in economically disadvantaged households. Puri explained that with each connection typically serving a family of four to five people, the entire population of India now has access to LPG. Additionally, a natural gas pipeline infrastructure is being developed, offering a 25-30% cheaper alternative to LPG.
India has also made efforts to ensure that LPG remains affordable for low-income families. In May 2022, the government introduced a targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills annually for PMUY consumers. In October 2023, this subsidy was increased to Rs 300 per cylinder. As of now, an LPG cylinder costs Rs 503 in Delhi.
Puri emphasized that, for those in economically weaker sections, the cost of clean cooking fuel equates to only 7 cents a day, while for others, it’s around 15 cents. “Clean cooking fuel is available to almost everyone, and it’s not an issue,” he said.
Reflecting on his own experience as a student, Puri recalled the challenges of obtaining an LPG connection in the past. He described how it often required personal connections or recommendations to secure a cylinder.
India has made significant progress in transitioning to clean and sustainable cooking fuels, especially through PMUY, which has not only improved health outcomes for rural women but also addressed environmental concerns related to traditional cooking methods.
