State government expands subsidy scheme to cover three free cooking gas cylinders
:In a move ahead of the state assembly elections, the Maharashtra government has announced the implementation of the ‘Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana’ (MAY). Under this scheme, women will receive three cooking gas cylinders free of charge annually
Mumbai:In a move ahead of the state assembly elections, the Maharashtra government has announced the implementation of the ‘Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana’ (MAY). Under this scheme, women will receive three cooking gas cylinders free of charge annually. A government resolution to this effect was issued by the state food and civil supplies department on Tuesday.
The expanded scope of the scheme includes beneficiaries of the ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY) and the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ (MMLBY), which has already garnered over one crore applications. PMUY, run by the central government, provides free LPG gas connections to below-poverty-line families and offers a subsidy of ₹300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills annually during the financial year 2024-25. The state has 52.16 lakh eligible beneficiaries under this scheme.
To maximize the reach of this benefit ahead of the elections, the government has decided to include MMLBY beneficiaries. This expansion will increase the burden on the state exchequer, according to officials from the food and civil supplies department.
Both women-centric schemes—MAY and MMLBY—were announced in the state budget for 2024-25.
According to the resolution, oil companies will provide ₹530 per cylinder for three cylinders (totalling ₹1,590) to beneficiaries under PMUY, with the remaining ₹300 per cylinder covered by the central government through direct benefit transfer (DBT). The total amount of ₹1,590 per beneficiary will be reimbursed by the state government.
For MMLBY beneficiaries, reimbursement will be handled directly by the state government. A six-member committee will be formed in each district to verify beneficiaries, as per the government resolution.
“Our objective is to provide clean cooking fuel to as many women as possible. Families from weaker financial backgrounds often struggle to refill their cylinders and revert to using wood for cooking. The estimated expenditure for this scheme is over ₹2,000 crore,” an official said.