35 per cent LPG connections under PMUY lying dormant in Gujarat

Over 39 lakh LPG connections have been targeted to be released under the PMUY in Gujarat between 2016 and 2019. These 39 lakh connections are part of the five crore LPG connections that the government plans to release across the country during this period, said the officials about the programme that was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh on May 1, 2016.

Asked about the number of LPG connections that were lying dormant under the PMUY scheme, V K Verma, deputy general manager (LPG) of Indian Oil Corporation, said, “Of the total 11.59 lakh LPG connections issued, 35 per cent beneficiaries have not ordered a second refill during the entire year.” Officials told The Indian Express that unaffordablility, partial usage and greater dependence on kerosene and firewood/biomass as a cooking fuel were some of the factors that were acting as major deterrents for BPL families in Gujarat and other states from shifting to LPG.

Officials said despite a Rs 1,600 government subsidy per LPG connection, new customers under the PMUY have to initially shell out Rs 1,540 (Rs 990 and Rs 550 for a gas cylinder), which the customers have the option of repaying in EMIs to the OMCs or the oil marketing companies.

“The programme was designed to ensure that customers move away from kerosene and firewood and use LPG on a sustainable basis. In the last one year the per capita annual consumption among PMUY customers is three cylinders. This falls to an average of 2.25 cylinders in remote rural areas where accessibility is an issue. These figures are the same for customers registered under the PMUY in Gujarat,” said Verma, while comparing the figures with per capita consumption among general customers who have an average annual consumption of 7.5 cylinders.

Officials said that LPG Panchayat, which will be launched by Union minister Pradhan at Isanpur Mota village, is largely to help BPL and rural households shift their cooking fuel from kerosene to LPG. “The government over a period of time plans to end the subsidy given on kerosene and the ministry plans to organise one lakh LPG panchayts in the next 1.5 years,” said another official on conditions of anonymity. The official said over 1.12 lakh probable women customers in Gujarat have already told the oil marketing companies that they are not willing to shift from kerosene. “It is this group that the ministry is looking to tap by organising LPG panchayats,” the official added.

The ambitious Rs 8,000 crore PMUY scheme is partly be funded using the money saved from 1.13 crore cooking gas users who voluntarily gave up their subsidies through PM’s “Give-it-up” initiative. Gujarat has a relatively poor record under this scheme where only 4.5 lakh customers have come forward to readily given up their LPG subsidies.