Congress attacks Centre over cut in Ujjwala scheme LPG refills

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FIle photo of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Congress on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) accused the Narendra Modi government of undermining its flagship welfare schemes, citing a reduction in the number of subsidised LPG cylinder refills provided under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) to four.

The decision exposed the gap between the government’s promises and its delivery on them, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on social media platform X. The government had steadily diluted the benefits promised under the scheme, which was launched in 2016 with the stated objective of providing relief to women from the health hazards of traditional cooking fuels, Mr. 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,” Mr. Kharge said in his post.

Repeated increases in LPG prices had made refills unaffordable for a large number of beneficiaries, the Congress leader alleged. Citing official data, he claimed that 5.56 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries were unable to afford cylinder refills, and were being forced to return to traditional cooking methods.

“The Modi government sheds crocodile tears for women while being intoxicated by power,” Mr. Kharge said, adding that the government had first weakened employment guarantees under the erstwhile Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and was now curtailing welfare support for poor households.

The remarks came days after the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi was increased from ₹913 to ₹942. Ujjwala beneficiaries will continue to pay an effective price of ₹642 per cylinder after receiving a subsidy of ₹300 per refill, but only for