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Alankar Mishra

June 16, 2026

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Centre cuts Ujjwala LPG subsidy quota from 9 to 4 cylinders: What it means for beneficiaries

The central government has reduced the number of subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which provides almost 4 subsidised cylinders of 14.2 kg per household annually.

LPG is a necessity for low-income households and the impoverished. It is not an indulgence. The Ujjwala scheme was created to provide poor households with better access to cleaner cooking gas, replacing wood, coal, or other cooking sources. With the introduction of reduced subsidy caps on Ujjwala benefits, however, many households that are accustomed to consuming more than 4 cylinders annually will be subject to additional charges for cooking fuel.

Overview of Ujjwala LPG subsidy quota change

Particulars	Details
Scheme Name	Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
Earlier Subsidised Quota	9 cylinders per year
New Subsidised Quota	4 cylinders per year
Subsidy Amount	₹300 per 14.2-kg LPG cylinder
Current LPG Price In Delhi	₹942 per cylinder
Effective Price For PMUY Beneficiaries	Around ₹642 after subsidy
Main Reason For Change	Average consumption pattern and rising global LPG costs
Beneficiaries Affected	Ujjwala households using more than 4 cylinders annually

What are the new Ujjwala LPG subsidy rules?

The revised law states that beneficiaries of the Ujjwala program can now only access subsidy support for 4 LPG gas cylinders a year. This marks a reduction in the annual limits in terms of support. From a base limit of 12 gas cylinders per year, the limit on subsidised gas cylinders dropped first to 9 and subsequently to 4.

This does not mean benefit recipients may not buy additional cylinders; they can continue to purchase additional cylinders based on their family's needs, but they will only receive a subsidy for 4 of those cylinders per year. To put it another way, the first 4 cylinders qualified would receive a subsidy. The remaining cylinders purchased would have to be paid for the same as the rest of the general population at the time the purchase took place.

Read Also: Pahal Scheme

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Key points of the new LPG subsidy rule

Each Ujjwala beneficiary will be eligible to get subsidised on four 14.2-kg LPG cylinders a year.
Each subsidised cylinder will get a subsidy of ₹300.
This amount will be deposited in the beneficiary's bank account directly.
There is no restriction on the number of cylinders purchased.
However, cylinders purchased beyond the limit of four will not be subsidised.
The government has set a limit of subsidised LPG cylinders based on the average consumption pattern of LPG of Ujjwala households.

How much subsidy do Ujjwala beneficiaries get?

Right now, Ujjwala beneficiaries are given a subsidy of ₹300 for every eligible LPG cylinder of 14.2 kgs. This is directly transferred to their bank accounts.

The retail price of an LPG cylinder in Delhi is about ₹942; therefore, a PMUY beneficiary pays ₹642 effectively after getting the ₹300 subsidy.

Price calculation for Ujjwala beneficiaries

LPG Cylinder Price Detail	Amount
Retail Price Of 14.2-kg LPG Cylinder In Delhi	₹942
PMUY Subsidy Amount	₹300
Effective Price After Subsidy	₹642

This means beneficiaries will still get relief, but only on four cylinders a year. Families using LPG daily may feel the financial pressure once their subsidised quota is exhausted.

Why has the government reduced the LPG subsidy quota?

The new quota now matches Ujjwala households' average yearly consumption, as the government described. The PMUY households, according to the government, can be expected to use four LPG cylinders a year. Thus, the subsidy support was set to that level.

The rising cost of LPG supply is another major reason. A large part of the LPG that India consumes is imported; the domestic supply is subject to the international LPG pricing. When international prices go up, the cost is also passed to the oil marketing companies and the government.

The government also has to account for the overall subsidy bill. The reduced subsidised quota may help put a lid on the government's subsidy bill, but will also increase the cost to households that use more than four cylinders a year.

The main reasons behind the quota cut

Average Ujjwala household consumption is said to be close to four cylinders per year.
Global LPG supply costs have increased.
India’s LPG cost is linked to international fuel prices.
Oil marketing companies are facing pressure due to under-recoveries.
The government’s subsidy burden has increased.
Recent LPG price hikes have added more pressure on household budgets.

LPG price hike adds more pressure

The quota reduction comes at a time when LPG prices have also increased. A domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi recently reached around ₹942. For ordinary households, this is a major concern because LPG is a daily household necessity.

For Ujjwala beneficiaries, the ₹300 subsidy still provides relief. But since the quota is now limited to four cylinders, households using five, six, eight or more cylinders a year may have to pay more for extra refills.

Impact on Ujjwala beneficiaries

This plan really hurts low-income households that rely entirely on LPG for cooking. For families that only go through only 4 LPG cylinders a year, the price drop likely won't be an issue. For families that travel more than 4, the new plan may increase the price of LPG for home heating substantially.

This especially hurts low-income and rural families, where the Ujjwala program worked to prevent the use of firewood and dung cakes as fuels because they contribute to indoor pollution and cause health problems for women and children.

If the price of LPG becomes too expensive as they have to reorder with no more subsidies, some families may resort to buying LPG more sparingly or even go back to using the old, traditional fuels. This directly goes against the Ujjwala program's objectives by promoting the use of cleaner cooking fuels.

Who will be most affected?

The additional costs associated with this will particularly affect larger families and those families that rely solely on LPG for cooking and eat more than one meal per day. It will affect families that use more than four LPG cylinders per year the most.

The extra costs will also affect rural families who have a very limited budget. The relatively small fuel price increase makes things very difficult for families with a budget that is already stretched. For many families, it is impossible to pay for LPG refills regularly, and it is not a question of having an LPG connection at all.

What is Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana?

The PMUY came into effect in May 2016, providing disadvantaged households with free, no-deposit LPG connections. This initiative aims to improve the cooking fuel used by these households, replacing traditional, ancient, and polluting fuels, such as wood and coal, with cleaner and safer fuels like LPG.

In the many households that the scheme was originally implemented in, the provision of connections showed its first success. However, the connections are not the end of the scheme. In the case that the refills charge high costs, the change from traditional fuels to LPG is unlikely to be made by these families, meaning that the scheme will not have made a significant improvement in the standard of living for these families.

Affordable LPG represents a more practical option for low-income households, and subsidy access makes a significant difference.

Why this decision matters

The significance of cutting the LPG subsidy quota can be understood considering the shift in family budgets. For families with higher disposable incomes, the cost of one or two extra cylinders may not mean too much. However, for families on lower disposable incomes, one extra cylinder can mean significantly more.

The government argues that the decision has been made considering the increase in supply chain costs and actual consumption. However, from the consumer standpoint, the argument against the decision is that many families that consume more than four cylinders will, from now on, have to incur more costs.

There’s also the more general question. Should the subsidy quota be set only based on the average consumption and not the size of the family, the family’s disposable income, the family’s region, the family’s cooking habits, etc.?

Some families of a smaller size or those that cook only once in a while may manage with four cylinders for the year. However, a family of a larger size that cooks on a daily basis may need six or more in a year. This is why the likely impact of the new rule is not the same for all Ujjwala households.

Conclusion

The government’s decision to cut the subsidy on Ujjwala LPG from nine to four cylinders is a significant policy change. The government contends that the new quota suggests an average LPG consumption with an increase in the cost of supply. For low-income families that consume more than four cylinders a year, the decision may increase the cost of cooking fuel.

The Ujjwala scheme, initiated to provide clean cooking fuel to poor households, may not, in the immediate future, be able to address the constraint of balancing control of subsidy with affordable LPG to families that need to refill the cylinders frequently.

FAQs

What is the new Ujjwala LPG subsidy quota?

Now there are reports that Ujjwala beneficiaries will get subsidised support for four LPG cylinders annually.

How much subsidy is given under PMUY?

Under PMUY, beneficiaries are offered a subsidised amount of ₹300 for every 14.2 kg LPG cylinder.

Can beneficiaries buy more than four cylinders?

There is a restriction of four subsidised cylinders. Nevertheless, beneficiaries can buy as many as they can.

Why was the LPG subsidy quota reduced?

The government claims that the restriction on subsidised cylinders is due to the price surge of LPG. They also expect that the average Ujjwala household is likely to consume about four cylinders in a year.

Who will be affected the most?

Households that purchase more than four subsidised cylinders in a year are assumed to buy the remaining cylinders at the market price.

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