New Delhi: Cooking gas LPG consumption rose 7.3 per cent in the last three months despite a steep price rise, with usage among the PMUY beneficiaries, who are mostly poor rural households, jumping near 20 per cent, state-owned oil companies said.
”LPG consumption has improved amongst PMUY customers,” Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said in a statement.
Cooking gas consumption between December 2020 and February 2021, the period that saw a massive Rs 175 per cylinder increase in rates across all categories, jumped 19.5 per cent among the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries — the over 8 crore poor households that got free connection since 2016.
An identical statement was also issued by privatisation-bound Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL).
The statements came amid opposition parties such as Congress and the TMC attacking the government over the relentless increase in fuel prices impacting the common man.
Reports also suggested that some PMUY beneficiaries had abandoned buying LPG following the price surge.
