Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the Government of India distributed more than 80 million LPG connections among socioeconomically weaker households within a short span of 18 months. Ujjwala 2.0 aims to widen LPG access to an additional 10 million homes. However, despite access to LPG connections, several barriers – like fuel affordability – force many households to stack solid fuels with LPG. The affordability barrier has become more pronounced with the rise in the market price of LPG, suspension of LPG subsidies, and the drop in household incomes due to the pandemic-induced economic crisis.

In this session, we will deliberate on the need and strategies to make LPG affordable for low-income groups in India. The session will also mark the launch of a new CEEW study, 'State of clean cooking energy access in India', based on the India Residential Energy Survey (IRES) 2020.