Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Before PMUY lit up India’s kitchens, rural women relied on traditional fuels that filled homes with smoke and burdened their days with toil. Firewood, coal, and cow-dung cakes were the heart of village cooking, gathered from forests or fields, their heavy smoke clouding lungs and dimming dreams.
These fuels, though abundant, demanded hours of labour and left families in hazy, unhealthy homes. PMUY changed this story, replacing smoky flames with clean LPG, freeing women to cook with ease and live with pride. PMUY has kindled hope in every corner of India. States with significant rural populations and poverty indicators have seen greater adoption of the scheme, improving access to cleaner cooking solutions for women.
Exceeding targets
PMUY does more than light stoves, it ignites dreams. By freeing women from the hardship of gathering fuel, it opens doors to education, entrepreneurship, and family time. Women now join self-help groups, start small businesses, or teach their children, their lives enriched by the hours saved and the health gained. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana not only met but exceeded its key milestones, well ahead of schedule-a testament to its rapid scale, effective execution, and transformational impact.
Continuing the transformational journey of PM Ujjwala Yojana, the Government has further approved the targeted subsidy of Rs.300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to nine refills per year (and proportionately prorated for 5 kg cylinder) to the beneficiaries during FY 2025-26 at an expenditure of Rs 12,000 crore.
Revolution of hope
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is more than a scheme. It is a revolution of hope, kindling flames that warm hearts and brighten futures. Each gas cylinder, backed by generous subsidies, is a spark of dignity, freeing women from smoky kitchens and lighting the way to healthier lives, empowered dreams, and thriving communities. From Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra, millions of women now cook with pride, their children breathing freely, their homes filled with laughter.
In South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Cameliya Naskar lived with a quiet enemy – smoke. It curled through her kitchen, filled her children’s lungs, and settled into every corner of her home. Her days were a blur of coughing, cleaning, and cooking through the haze. But now, the air is different. Her stove runs on LPG, and her kitchen no longer chokes her dreams. The walls are still the same, but the mood is new. Warm meals simmer on the stove while her children study beside her. Her home, once filled with soot, is now filled with the smell of food, the sound of learning, and the lightness of hope.
Essence of Ujjwala
Prime Minister Narendra Modi captured this spirit in 2019: “Ujjwala Yojana has put great emphasis on the resolve of ensuring health, convenience and empowerment of sisters.”
That’s the essence of Ujjwala, a flame that lights both the kitchen and the spirit, carrying hope to every corner of India. PMUY stands as a beacon of India’s progress, where clean, accessible fuel fuels not just stoves but aspirations, weaving a tapestry of equality, health, and opportunity.
As these flames flicker in every corner of the nation, they carry a promise: a brighter, stronger India, where every woman’s light shines bold and free.
