Centre Cuts Subsidised Ujjwala Cylinders To 4 From 9 Annually Amid LPG Price Hike

A day after the Centre raised the price of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder by ₹29, officials confirmed that beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana will now receive subsidy support on only four cylinders a year, down from nine previously and twelve when the scheme was launched in 2016. The government says the decision reflects the average annual LPG consumption of Ujjwala households and points to broader support being extended through subsidised LPG pricing. However, the move has triggered a political storm, with the Congress and Samajwadi Party accusing the Centre of scaling back welfare benefits for poor families. As questions grow over the future of targeted subsidies and who ultimately bears the cost of welfare support, NDTV's Himanshu Shekhar tracks the latest developments and the political reactions.