New Delhi: The Government on Wednesday hiked the subsidy paid to poor women who got cooking gas connections under Ujjwala scheme, to Rs 300 per cylinder from the current Rs 200, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said.

Ujjwala beneficiaries currently pay Rs 703 per 14.2-kg cylinder as against the market price of Rs 903. After the decision of the Union Cabinet, they will now pay Rs 603.

In September, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved providing an additional 75 lakh LPG connections to women under the Ujjwala scheme.

Union minister Thakur had said that the additional LPG connections will be provided in the course of the next three years will come with a financial implication of Rs 1650 crore.

In Delhi for instance, the decision brought down the cost of a 14.2 kg cylinder from the existing Rs 1,103 per cylinder to Rs 903.

The across-the-board reduction was in addition to the existing targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per cylinder to Ujjwala households, continue. The effective price in Delhi for Ujjwala beneficiaries after this reduction will be Rs 703 per cylinder.

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