The Yogi Adityanath govt is set to lend fresh traction to PM Ujjwala Yojana by distributing another tranche of free LPG cylinders to the beneficiaries of the scheme ahead of the upcoming Diwali.
Launched by PM Narendra Modi in May 2016 from Ballia, the scheme is essentially aimed at providing free LPG connections to poor women, especially in rural areas, to replace traditional polluting cooking fuels. The state govt has released a sum of over ₹346 crore as an initial instalment for the scheme in the ongoing 2025-26 fiscal year.
UP minister for civil supplies, Satish Sharma, confirmed to TOI that CM Yogi is scheduled to roll out the fresh instalment of free LPG cylinders to the Ujjwala beneficiaries on Wednesday. “The govt already been provisioned to provide free LPG cylinders to the beneficiaries of Ujjwala before Diwali and Holi. We are fulfilling our commitment,” Sharma said.
The UP govt made a provision of ₹1500 crore for the scheme in the 2025-26 state budget. In the case of UP, more than 1.8 crore LPG connections have been given under the scheme. The department of food and civil supplies, in a govt order, said that the sum released for the purpose would be used efficiently and will not be kept in any bank.
The department decided to roll out the measure to those beneficiaries whose identity has been certified through the Aadhaar card data. This exercise is proposed to be carried out in close coordination with the oil companies engaged in the distribution of LPG gas to the beneficiaries.
The scheme is seen as a strategic political recalibration leveraging a proven women outreach. In fact, the Ujjwala scheme is credited to have played a game-changing role in mobilising the women voters, hoisting BJP to power in UP with a thumping majority in the 2017 assembly elections. The govt’s decision to announce the measure just before Diwali mirrors earlier BJP strategies of combining welfare delivery amid festivities, bolstering the direct voter connection.
