Ujjwala Yojana Diwali Gift: Yogi Govt Releases Rs 1,500 Crore LPG Refill Subsidy for 1.89 Crore Homes

The announcement deals with a long-standing problem in India's clean-cooking drive: getting a gas connection is one thing, but continuing to use it is another. A free connection helps little if a family cannot afford the next cylinder and goes back to wood or dung cakes. The Chief Minister addressed this directly.

"Our commitment is clear. No poor family should be forced to return to smoke-filled traditional stoves because of financial difficulties. May the happiness of Diwali reach every household and the light of convenience remain in every kitchen," he said.

The festive refill has become a recurring feature of the state's welfare calendar. When the state launched the campaign in November 2023, CM Yogi said the government was fulfilling an announcement made in the 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra' during the Assembly elections-2022. At that time, 1.75 crore families were to benefit, with the state spending Rs 2,312 crore on the subsidy. Before Holi in 2025, he distributed Rs 1,890 crore in refill subsidies to 1.86 crore eligible families under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. This Diwali's figure of more than 1.89 crore families shows the beneficiary base continuing to grow.

He credited the Ujjwala scheme with giving poor households access to clean cooking fuel, and said it had brought women better health, convenience and dignity. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for supporting the welfare of women and disadvantaged families, and extended advance Diwali greetings to "all mothers and sisters".

Welfare, with a political edge

The announcement also carried a pointed political message. CM Yogi alleged that when a government's priority was its own family, the suffering of poor households went unaddressed in policy. He said millions of mothers and sisters had been forced to spend their lives cooking in smoke-filled kitchens under what he called dynastic politics.

"Under the illustrious guidance of the Honorable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, the double-engine government has prioritized public welfare over familism," he said.

He struck a similar note in a separate post about Ayodhya's Deepotsav. He called the annual festival a vibrant example of social unity, saying shared faith and culture bring society together while caste rigidity divides it. He also alleged that governments before 2017 ignored this unifying cultural force and made caste divisions the basis of their politics.

Uttar Pradesh is due to hold its next Assembly elections in 2027. Both messages, the welfare delivery and the criticism of past governments, are likely to remain central to political debate in the state in the months ahead.

(With inputs from IANS)