For millions of Indian women, the kitchen was long one of the most dangerous places in the house — not because of fire, but because of smoke. Cooking on firewood, dung and coal fills a home with pollution that damages the lungs of the woman at the stove and the children beside her. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) set out to change that by putting a clean LPG connection into more than ten crore poor households. This guide explains how the scheme works in 2026, who it helps, and the challenge that remains.
What Ujjwala is
Launched in May 2016, Ujjwala provides a deposit-free LPG connection to an adult woman from a poor household, so she can cook with clean gas instead of solid fuels. Issuing the connection in a woman's name was a deliberate choice — it is women who bear the health burden of smoky kitchens and who manage the household fuel. By 2025 the scheme had crossed 10.3 crore connections, making it one of the largest clean-cooking programmes anywhere.
Who is eligible
The connection goes to an adult woman from an eligible poor household, identified through socio-economic data and specific categories — SC/ST families, PMAY beneficiaries, forest dwellers, tea-garden workers, and other deprived groups — provided the household does not already have an LPG connection. Ujjwala 2.0 simplified enrolment, including easier documentation for migrants who lack local address proof, and made the first refill and a stove free.
The subsidy that keeps the flame affordable
A free connection is only useful if refills are affordable — and that has been the scheme's hardest problem. To address it, the government provides a targeted subsidy: for 2025-26, 300 per 14.2 kg cylinder on up to nine refills a year for Ujjwala beneficiaries, credited directly to their bank accounts. This lowers the effective price of a cylinder for the poorest families and is meant to keep them cooking with gas rather than returning to firewood.
Why clean cooking matters so much
Household air pollution from solid cooking fuels is one of India's under-recognised health crises. The smoke contains fine particles and toxic gases linked to respiratory infections, chronic lung disease, heart disease and low birth weight, and it is women and young children — who spend the most time near the hearth — who suffer most. It is estimated to contribute to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths a year. Beyond health, gathering firewood consumes hours of women's time and contributes to deforestation. Clean cooking, in short, is a health, gender and environmental intervention at once, and complements the fight against outdoor air pollution.
The refill challenge
The honest assessment is that getting a connection is not the same as sustained use. Studies and reports have found that some Ujjwala households refill their cylinders less often than the health goal requires, because even subsidised LPG can strain a poor family's budget, and old habits and free firewood pull them back. This is why the refill subsidy matters, and why the scheme's success is measured not just in connections released but in cylinders actually refilled. Awareness and affordability, not just access, are the frontier.
How to apply
- Approach a nearby LPG distributor (of any public oil company) or apply online through the official PMUY or oil-company portal.
- Provide Aadhaar, a bank account and eligibility details; Ujjwala 2.0 eases documentation for migrants.
- Receive the connection, stove and first refill free, and the refill subsidy directly into your bank account.
Ujjwala shows how a well-targeted scheme can improve health and dignity at scale — and how the real work continues after the first connection. Clean cooking sits alongside clean water and a pucca home as the basics of a decent life. To support NGOs working on health, women's welfare and clean energy, browse verified organisations on NGOLists.
Further reading on NGOLists
- PM Awas Yojana (PMAY): Eligibility, Subsidy and How to Apply in 2026
- Farmer Welfare Schemes in India: PM-KISAN, Crop Insurance and More Explained
- Jal Jeevan Mission: Tracking India's Progress on Tap Water for Every Home
- Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Causes, Health Impact and What Citizens Can Do
- Independence Day: How Far Has India Come on Social Development?