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Business Standard
08-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Cabinet approves ₹300 LPG subsidy for PMUY beneficiaries in 2025-26
The ₹300 per cylinder subsidy will be provided for up to 9 refills in FY 2025-26, benefiting over 10 crore PMUY consumers and ensuring affordable access to clean cooking fuel Vijay Prasad Sharma New Delhi The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the continuation of a targeted subsidy of ₹300 per 14.2 kg liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder for beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), according to an official statement. This subsidy will apply for up to 9 refills per year (with a proportionate rate for 5 kg cylinders) during the financial year 2025-26, involving a total expenditure of ₹12,000 crore. Targeted LPG subsidy for PMUY consumers India depends on imports for around 60 per cent of its LPG needs. To protect PMUY users from global price changes and to ensure continued and affordable LPG usage, the Government started offering a subsidy of ₹200 per 14.2 kg cylinder in May 2022, covering up to 12 refills annually. This was also applied on a pro-rata basis for 5 kg cylinders. Increase in LPG usage among PMUY households There has been noticeable improvement in LPG usage among PMUY beneficiaries. The average per capita consumption (PCC), which was around 3 refills in 2019-20 and 3.68 refills in 2022-23, rose to approximately 4.47 refills during FY 2024-25. About the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Launched in May 2016, the PMUY aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women from low-income households across India. As of July 1, 2025, there are approximately 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country. Each PMUY beneficiary receives a deposit-free connection that includes the security deposit for the cylinder, pressure regulator, Suraksha hose, DGCC booklet, and installation charges. Under Ujjwala 2.0, the first refill and a stove are also given free of cost. The entire cost for these items is covered by the government or Oil Marketing Companies, so beneficiaries do not need to pay anything for the initial setup.
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Business Standard
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Business Standard
Monsoon likely to hit Delhi by June 22, ahead of normal schedule
Delhi has been facing scorching summer heat over the past two weeks, with heat index temperatures reaching as high as 54.4 degrees Celsius last week Vijay Prasad Sharma New Delhi The southwest monsoon, which has made rapid progress across central, western and eastern India over the last two days, is expected to reach Delhi and parts of Haryana and Punjab within the next two to three days. An official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday confirmed that Delhi is likely to see the arrival of the monsoon by 22 June, which is earlier than the usual date of 30 June. According to the IMD's extended-range forecast, rainfall is expected across several parts of northwest India, including Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. This wet spell is expected to last from 20 to 25 June. The southwest monsoon this year made an early arrival over Kerala on 24 May—the earliest since 2009, when it arrived on 23 May. Aided by strong low-pressure systems in both the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, it quickly moved through central Maharashtra (including Mumbai) and reached the entire northeast by 29 May. However, the initial rapid progress hit a long pause, lasting from 29 May to 16 June, during which little advancement or rainfall was recorded. Heatwaves due to lack of rain in early June The pause in rainfall during early June caused a sharp rise in temperatures, resulting in heatwave conditions across large parts of northwest and central India in the second week of June. The monsoon picked up pace again between 16 and 18 June, following the formation of two low-pressure systems on 17 June—one over West Bengal and another over Gujarat, located on opposite sides of the country. Traditionally, the monsoon reaches Kerala by 1 June, arrives in Mumbai by 11 June and covers the entire country by 8 July. It begins to retreat from northwest India around 17 September and completely withdraws by 15 October. Meteorologists caution that the timing of the monsoon's arrival does not necessarily reflect the total seasonal rainfall. 'An early or delayed arrival in Kerala or Mumbai does not necessarily indicate similar progress in other parts of the country,' they explained. They added that the monsoon is shaped by a mix of global, regional and local factors, which makes it highly variable. Forecast: Above-normal rainfall likely in most areas In its May forecast, the IMD said that India is expected to receive 106 per cent of the long-period average (LPA) rainfall, which is 87 cm for the June–September season. Rainfall between 96 and 104 per cent of the LPA is considered 'normal'. Hence, this year's forecast suggests above-normal rainfall across most regions. Most parts of the country are likely to receive above-average rainfall, with the exception of Ladakh, nearby areas of Himachal Pradesh, the northeast, and certain parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. Additionally, a few scattered areas in Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu may experience lower-than-normal rainfall. The monsoon is vital to India's agriculture, which supports around 42 per cent of the population and contributes 18.2 per cent to the national GDP. It also plays a crucial role in refilling reservoirs, which are essential for drinking water and electricity generation across the country.
