Beneficiaries of the PM Ujjwala Yojana will now get a total subsidy of Rs 400.
In an important move ahead of polls in five states as well as the Lok Sabha elections, the Union Cabinet has announced a subsidy of Rs 200 on all domestic LPG cylinders.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur called the decision a gift for women from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
Mr Thakur said that only 14.5 crore domestic consumers used LPG cylinders when the Modi government assumed office in 2014 and the number has now grown to 33 crore. He said 9.6 crore of these had got cylinders for free under the PM Ujjwala Yojana.
The minister pointed out that beneficiaries of the PM Ujjwala Yojana already get a subsidy of Rs 200, which had been announced in March. They will now get a total subsidy of Rs 400.
A 14.2-kg LPG cylinder, which costs Rs 1,103 in New Delhi, will now cost Rs 903, news agency PTI reported. The price will be Rs 703 for Ujjwala beneficiaries.
Prime Minister Modi said the reduction in prices will increase the comfort of women and make their lives easier.
"The festival of Raksha Bandhan is a day to increase happiness in our family. The reduction in gas prices will increase the comfort of the sisters in my family and make their lives easier. May every sister of mine be happy, be healthy, be happy, this is my wish from God," the PM posted in Hindi on X, formerly Twitter.
The Centre has also approved 75 lakh additional Ujjwala connections, which will take the total beneficiaries to 10.35 crore.