PM Modi's Raksha Bandhan gift: Centre slashes LPG cylinders prices by Rs 200

In a big relief to consumers, the central government has slashed the prices of cooking gas cylinders by Rs 200 under the Ujjwala Scheme, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said during a press briefing."On the occasion of Onam and Rakshabandhan, PM Modi has decided that LPG price will be reduced by Rs 200 for all consumers," Thakur said.Under the revised plan, cylinders will now cost Rs 900 instead of 1,100 earlier.PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries will get this 200 rupees relief over and above the 200 rupees subsidy provided in March 2023. So, approx 10 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries will get the cylinder for 700 rupees.Currently, a 14 kg LPG cylinder costs Rs 1053 in Delhi, Rs 1052.50 in Mumbai, Rs 1068.50 in Chennai and Rs 1079 in Kolkata.The oil companies increased the price of domestic LPG cylinders by Rs 50 in July. Earlier, the prices were increased twice in May.Earlier this month, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) made a price revision for commercial LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) while keeping domestic cooking gas rates unchanged.This adjustment included a significant decrease of Rs 99.75 in the price of 19 kg commercial LPG gas cylinders, implemented from 1 August. As a result, the retail selling price of a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder in Delhi currently stands at Rs 1,680.For domestic use, the pricing of 14.2 kg LPG cooking gas cylinders has remained unchanged since March 1 of the current year.The move comes ahead of Assembly polls in five states — Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram — scheduled for later this year.Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1 2016 to distribute 50 million LPG connections to women of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.With inputs from agencies