LPG connections cross 10.5 crore under Ujjwala, but only 23% of rural households use it exclusively: CEEW report

India’s push to expand LPG access has brought the cooking fuel to a large majority of households, but a new study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) shows that access has not translated into sustained use, particularly in rural India.

Only 23% of rural households surveyed by CEEW said they use LPG exclusively for cooking, although 73% had used LPG in the three months before the survey.

The findings come from a survey of 2,222 rural households across Assam, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, conducted between November 2024 and January 2025. The study found that 48% of households use LPG as their primary cooking fuel, while 50% primarily rely on firewood.

READ THIS: 'The world's already got its popcorn': Iran's Ghalibaf mocks Bessent over US oil reserves

CEEW indicated that the cost of refills is still the main obstacle, as 70% of households that do not utilise LPG identified refill expenses as a significant issue.

LPG Connections Rise, but Refill Costs Limit Daily Use

While Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has driven massive growth in LPG connections-reaching roughly 10.57 crore beneficiaries as of July 1, 2026, with the Eastern (32%) and Northern (30%) regions leading adoption- having a cylinder does not automatically guarantee regular use. CEEW reveals a persistent gap between access and sustained consumption: PMUY beneficiaries average just 4.8 refills per year, falling well short of the 7 to 8 cylinders needed annually for exclusive reliance on LPG.

In July 2026, the effective subsidised PMUY cylinder price stood at ₹642, whereas the median household's willingness to pay was only ₹500, according to the survey. Notably, dropping the price of a 14.2-kg cylinder to ₹400 serves as the primary tipping point, with at least 80% of surveyed households agreeing to cook exclusively with LPG. Ultimately, refill affordability remains the primary hurdle keeping many households from making the full transition to clean cooking fuel.

Doorstep delivery remains another hurdle

Cost is not the only issue. CEEW found that only 47% of LPG users in its rural sample received doorstep delivery of cylinders. This leaves households, particularly those in remote areas, facing an additional logistical barrier to regular LPG use.

West Asia crisis disrupted new connections

The latest PPAC data also captures a disruption in LPG expansion during the April-June 2026 quarter. PSU oil marketing companies enrolled only 0.36 lakh new domestic LPG customers during the quarter. PPAC attributed the low enrolment to restrictions imposed during the prevailing West Asia crisis.

ALSO READ: Brent Crude Crosses $100: India’s Oil Basket Hits $108.9; What It Means For Markets

At the same time, PSU OMCs sold nearly 6.48 million tonnes of LPG during April-June 2026, registering a 15.6% decline in total LPG sales compared with the year-ago period. For India, therefore, the LPG challenge is no longer simply about putting a connection in a household. CEEW's findings suggest that the next phase of the clean-cooking transition will depend on making refills affordable, ensuring reliable last-mile delivery and converting nominal access into sustained, exclusive LPG use.

AT A GLANCE:-