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Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
Claim
Lacks context
Delivery
Delivered
The connections were delivered; using them is the part the record does not settle. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas told Parliament on 12 February 2026 that there were about 10.51 crore Ujjwala connections as on 1 February 2026, built up through a first target of 8 crore reached in September 2019, Ujjwala 2.0's 1.60 crore reached by December 2022, a further 75 lakh by July 2024, and 25 lakh more approved for 2025-26 to reach saturation. Eligibility has been widened to any adult woman from a poor household on a deprivation declaration, and 17,675 of 25,600 LPG distributorships now serve rural areas. The CAG's audit of the scheme's first three years found the gap that connection counts hide: average refill consumption of 3.21 cylinders a year among consumers who had held a connection for over a year.
“Ensure the LPG gas cylinder connection to all poor rural households.”This audit predates the claim
This audit's period ended on 31 Mar 2019, before the claim was made on 8 Apr 2019. It does not assess this claim, and is shown for context only.
Audit period: 1 May 2016 — 31 Mar 2019
The CAG's performance audit covers May 2016 to March 2019, ending before this term began, so it cannot grade this promise. Its findings remain the only independent evidence we hold on how the scheme works: 7.19 crore connections issued by 31 March 2019 against a target of eight crore; annual average refill consumption of 3.21 cylinders among the 1.93 crore consumers who had held a connection for more than a year; 1.98 lakh beneficiaries consuming more than 12 cylinders a year, which the audit flags as a risk of diversion to commercial use; 1.88 lakh connections issued to male beneficiaries because of a missing input validation check in the issuing software; a name mismatch against SECC-2011 data for 12.46 lakh beneficiaries; and pre-installation inspection reports missing in 2,531 of 18,558 records checked.
Audit period
The audit period closes before the claim was made. The orange span is the gap the audit does not cover.
About 10.51 crore PMUY connections as on 1 February 2026
No refill consumption figure is given in this answer, so whether usage has improved since the audited period is not established by any document we hold.
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2122, Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana — answer by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
A note on the claim. This entry was imported as a promise to "extend LPG to migrant workers and homeless" — which is Ujjwala 2.0's design, announced in August 2021, not a 2019 manifesto commitment. The manifesto's promise, item 21 in its list of milestones for India at 75, is simpler: "Ensure the LPG gas cylinder connection to all poor rural households."
On that promise, the delivery is documented and large. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas set out the sequence to the Lok Sabha on 12 February 2026: the original eight crore target "was achieved in September 2019"; Ujjwala 2.0 launched in August 2021 with a further one crore, achieved by January 2022, raised to 1.60 crore and achieved by December 2022; another 75 lakh approved and "achieved by July 2024"; and 25 lakh more approved for 2025-26 "to achieve saturation of LPG access in the country". The total: "As on 01.02.2026, there were about 10.51 crore PMUY connections across the country."
Two design changes support the "all poor rural households" wording. Eligibility was simplified to "Adult women from poor households based on submission of a Deprivation declaration", removing the SECC list as a gatekeeper — the audit had found 12.46 lakh name mismatches against that list. And distribution moved outward: of 25,600 LPG distributorships, "17,675 are serving in rural areas", with 7,434 of the 8,027 distributorships commissioned since April 2016 — 93 per cent — catering to rural areas.
The question a connection count cannot answer is whether the stove is being used, and here the only independent evidence we hold is the CAG's performance audit of the scheme's first three years. It found that "Encouraging the sustained usage of LPG remains a big challenge", with the annual average refill consumption of the 1.93 crore consumers who had held a connection for more than a year standing at 3.21 cylinders. A household cooking on LPG needs roughly eight to twelve refills a year; three means the connection is a backup and firewood is still the main fuel.
The same audit found other things worth carrying forward: 1.98 lakh beneficiaries consuming more than twelve cylinders a year, which it reads as a risk of diversion to commercial use; 1.88 lakh connections issued in men's names because Indian Oil's software lacked an input validation check, against a scheme designed to put the connection in a woman's name; and pre-installation inspection reports missing in 2,531 of 18,558 records test-checked, a safety requirement rather than a paperwork one.
That audit closes on 31 March 2019, before this term began, so it cannot grade this promise — it is recorded here as predating the claim. What matters is that the ministry's 2026 answer publishes no refill figure at all, so whether usage has improved since is not established by any document we hold.
The connection promise was kept, comprehensively. The purpose behind it — households actually cooking on clean fuel — remains unmeasured in the public record. Our verdict is lacks context.
BJP Sankalp Patra 2019 — Lok Sabha election manifesto
“Through this Sankalp Patra, you would get a glimpse of the challenges of the yesteryears, the indomitable efforts made by 130 crore Indians to overcome those challenges and our collective vision for the future… There are two commitments that I am extremely passionate about — doubling of farmer income and housing for all, by the year 2022.”
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2122, Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana — answer by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
“Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in May, 2016 with an objective to provide deposit free LPG connection to adult women from poor households across the country. The target to release 8 crore connections under PMUY was achieved in September 2019. To cover the remaining poor households, Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in August 2021 with a target to release 1 crore additional PMUY connections, which was achieved in January 2022… the target of 1.60 crore Ujjwala 2.0 connections was also achieved during December 2022. Further, Government approved release of additional 75 lakh connections under PMUY scheme which was achieved by July 2024. Government has recently approved the release of 25 lakh additional LPG connections under PMUY during Financial Year 2025-26 to achieve saturation of LPG access in the country. The eligibility criteria have been simplified to 'Adult women from poor households based on submission of a Deprivation declaration'. As on 01.02.2026, there were about 10.51 crore PMUY connections across the country… As of February 01, 2026, there are a total of 25,600 LPG distributorships across the country, out of which 17,675 are serving in rural areas. (c): As of February 01, 2026, there are a total of 25,600 LPG distributorships across the country, out of which 17,675 are serving in rural areas. In order to improve access of LPG in rural and remote areas, OMCs have commissioned a total of 8,027 distributorships, during 01.04.2016 to 31.12.2025 across the country, out of which 7,434 (i.e. 93 %) are catering to rural areas.”
Performance Audit of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
“As on 31 March 2019, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had issued 7.19 crore LPG connections, which is approximately 90 per cent of the target of eight crore connections to be issued till March 2020. All India LPG coverage also increased from 61.90 per cent in May 2016 to 94.30 per cent in April 2019.”