PM Ujjwala Yojana

PM Ujjwala Yojana, a flagship program of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government, was launched on 1st May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. PM Ujjwala Yojana along with “Give up LPG subsidy” was the most talked about yojana in the early period of the Narendra Modi Government after he assumed office in 2014. PMUY was launched to make clean cooking fuel such as LPG available to rural households despite traditional firewood, cow-dung cakes, and coal. It also wanted to ease the workload of rural women who still struggle their lives by gathering firewood from long distances like one to four kilometers and carrying heavy loads to their homes by foot. Cooking food and taking care of children make their lives terrible and develop serious health issues.

PM Ujjwala Yojana became a massive success releasing LPG connections to 10.35 crore rural households as of January 2024 against the earlier target to release 8 crore connections before March 2020. The “Give up LPG subsidy” campaign became a turning point in implementing PM Ujjwala Yojana. All households who can afford to purchase LPG without subsidy, are given to be a stakeholder by giving up their subsidy to their fellow poor rural women. Prime Minister’s campaign and emotional appeal helped to infuse a love of one’s country, thereby garnering massive support from the upper and middle-class population. More than a crore LPG consumers have voluntarily given up their subsidy so far.