Number of ‘nil refills’ of LPG cylinders by PMUY beneficiaries per year in Karnataka sees a 107% increase between 2021 and 2026
The focus now must move from the number of connections distributed to sustained LPG usage and affordability among low-income households: MP
The number of LPG cylinder refills that Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries go without in Karnataka surged by 107% between 2021 and 2026, while the annual consumption of 14.2-kg cylinders per connection rose by 21%. In 2021-22, there were 1.64 lakh instances of beneficiaries without refills, but this figure jumped to 3.40 lakh by 2025-26.
Simultaneously, the number of connections with one or two refills per year dropped by 20.95% and 28% respectively, from 3.77 lakh and 4.63 lakh to 2.98 lakh and 3.3 lakh. The data was disclosed in response to a query by Congress MP Mansoor Ali Khan, who questioned why lakhs of beneficiaries in states like West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh are going a whole year without a refill.
Khan emphasized that clean cooking fuel connections lose their purpose when families cannot use them regularly. The government acknowledged that factors such as affordability, availability of alternative fuels, household size, food habits, and cooking practices impact household LPG consumption. The rise in “nil refills” coincided with an increase in the total number of PMUY connections, particularly in North Karnataka, where such connections have traditionally been less common.
Sources also suggested that the high cost of LPG could have led to cylinders being diverted, especially among the urban poor.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
