The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Centre over the reduction in subsidised LPG cylinder refills under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), accusing the Modi government of neglecting poor households while claiming to champion women’s welfare.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the government was steadily rolling back welfare support and failing to deliver on its promises to economically weaker sections.
“The reality of the Modi government's poverty-reduction campaign is that first, the right to work under MGNREGA was snatched away from the poor and now, even the morsel of food is being taken away,” Kharge said.
Referring to the Ujjwala scheme, Kharge said, "2016: Modi-ji claimed that the Ujjwala Yojana would liberate women from the smoke of wood-burning stoves. There was a promise of 12 subsidized cylinders a year. However, last year, that number was reduced from 12 to 9. 2026: Now, the number of subsidized cylinders has been further cut from 9 to just 4. In short a promise of 12, but an intention of giving only 4."
He also claimed that repeated LPG price hikes had made refills unaffordable for millions of beneficiaries.
"Forced to abandon cylinders, mothers and sisters are compelled to return to traditional stoves, while the Modi government, which sheds crocodile tears over their plight -- is intoxicated by power!" Kharge said.
The Congress attack comes days after the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi was increased to Rs 942 from Rs 913. Under the PMUY scheme, beneficiaries will continue to pay an effective Rs 642 per cylinder after receiving a subsidy of Rs 300 per refill on the first four annual refills, reduced from nine subsidised refills announced last year.
The latest revision follows a Rs 60-per-cylinder hike on March 7, taking the cumulative increase to Rs 89 for a 14.2-kg cylinder.
According to estimates, state-run oil marketing companies had been incurring losses of around Rs 703 per cylinder before the latest price hike.
Defending the move, the government said Indian households still pay among the lowest cooking gas prices globally despite a sharp rise in international LPG prices triggered by disruptions in West Asia.
In a statement, the Centre said the cost of supplying a domestic LPG cylinder has crossed Rs 1,600 following a surge in global prices after the outbreak of war in West Asia at the end of February.
(With inputs from PTI)
