Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: ACROSS India’s vast expanse of 3.28 million square kilometres, countless stories of women, of strength, sacrifice, and resilience, go unheard. In urban homes, women plan their evening meals focused on what to serve. But in India’s villages, women once faced a tougher task gathering wood or dung to fuel their chulha, their eyes stinging from smoke, their children coughing in hazy rooms.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) arrived like a gentle promise, bringing clean gas flames to their kitchens so they could cook with joy, their meals filled with care, not soot. The Union Cabinet recently approved the targeted subsidy of Rs 300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to nine refills per year to the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during FY 2025-26.
Suksho’s harvest
She cooked with cow dung and dry grass. The air in her home hung heavy, and so did the feeling of being stuck, stuck in time, in struggle, in a life with no room to breathe. Then, in 2019, she received her LPG connection. And with that, a door opened.
With the hours she once spent gathering fuel, she found new purpose. Alongside other women, she began growing vegetables in the village fields. They sold their harvests together, earning not just income, but respect. Suksho, once invisible in the crowd, now stands tall in her community, her hands still busy, but now with growth, not grind.
What makes Ujjwala unique? It’s designed for women. Only an adult woman from an eligible household can receive the gas connection in her name, a small light that honours her role as the heart of her home.
Cooking should bring warmth, not harm. Yet for decades, millions of Indian women cooked over smoky stoves, risking their health and comfort every day. Recognising this hardship, the Government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), a flagship scheme that placed clean cooking fuel in the hands of rural women.
Safer, healthier kitchen
Over time, this initiative evolved to reach those still left behind, expanding its vision and deepening its impact.
Launched on May 1, 2016, the Ujjwala Yojana was aimed to provide five crore LPG connections to women from below poverty line households. Financial support of Rs 1,600 per connection was provided by the Government. The scheme empowered women by recognising them as the primary beneficiaries and decision-makers in households.
Ujjwala 2.0, launched on August 10, 2021, initially targeted one crore additional connections for lowincome families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY. It required minimum paperwork – a self-declaration sufficed for most cases.
By 2024, Ujjwala 2.0 was furthering the mission of clean cooking fuel access in rural India, reaching deeper into communities already touched by the scheme’s earlier success. In many villages, clean blue flames had replaced smoky fires, and kitchens felt lighter and fresher. Community gatherings like LPG Panchayats became platforms where women shared tips on safe usage, like checking hoses, storing cylinders properly. Also, they exchanged personal stories of easier cooking, fewer respiratory issues, and more time for family or work.
Celebrating success
The scheme’s impact shines through stories celebrated at the highest levels. In February 2018, the Rashtrapati Bhavan hosted an event to honour PMUY’s success, where women beneficiaries shared how clean fuel transformed their lives. They spoke of time saved from gathering wood, now spent with children or earning income, and kitchens free of choking smoke. These stories reflect the scheme’s promise of dignity and health. On December 30, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Meera Manjhi’s home in Ayodhya, the 10-croreth PMUY beneficiary.
