Around 3.4 lakh beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Karnataka continue to go an entire year without purchasing even a single LPG refill, according to data provided by the Union government at the Rajya Sabha in response to a question raised by Rajya Sabha member Mansoor Ali Khan.

In fact, the number of beneficiaries with who took no refill increased from 1.64 lakh in 2021-22 to 3.4 lakh in 2025-26. In Karnataka, as many as 2.98 lakh PMUY beneficiaries took just one refill, while 3.33 lakh beneficiaries took two refills and 32.66 lakh took three or more refills in 2025-26.

As per the data from the Union government, the situation in some other States is much worse. Over 21 lakh Ujjwala beneficiaries in West Bengal and 20 lakh in Uttar Pradesh took no LPG refill in 2025–26.

The government informed Parliament that India currently has approximately 10.57 crore PMUY connections. While the scheme was launched to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women from poor households, the data on actual cylinder usage points to significant variations in refill consumption.

National average improves

At the national level, the government stated that average consumption among PMUY beneficiaries has improved from 3.68 cylinders per connection in 2021-22 to 4.71 cylinders in 2025-26. However, significant disparities remain.

In 2025-26, average consumption was only 2.52 cylinders in Chhattisgarh, 2.9 in Meghalaya, 3.63 in Tripura and 3.65 in Assam, compared with the national average of 4.71. Karnataka stood above the national average at 5.49 cylinders per connection.

MP flags concern

Commenting on the government’s response, Mr. Khan said, “The government’s own figures show that lakhs of beneficiaries in several States are going through an entire financial year without taking even one refill. In West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh alone, more than 42 lakh beneficiaries took no refill in 2025-26. We need to ask why.”

He added, “A clean cooking fuel connection is meaningful only when a family can afford to use it regularly. If beneficiaries are unable to refill cylinders, there is a real risk of households returning to firewood, biomass and other traditional fuels. The focus now must move from the number of connections distributed to sustained LPG usage and affordability among low-income households.”

However, the government in its reply said LPG consumption among PMUY beneficiaries is regularly monitored and acknowledged that household LPG consumption depends on several factors, including price and the availability of alternative fuels, apart from household size, food and cooking habits.

Mr. Khan said the data makes a case for a closer assessment of why zero-refill households remain so high in certain States, whether affordability is a significant barrier, and what interventions are required to ensure that access to LPG translates into sustained clean-fuel usage.

Published - August 10, 2026 07:34 pm IST