Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: A demand-side diagnostic

• by Anurodh Giri and Arshi Aadil
• Aug 21, 2018
• 1 min
Download resource

The objective of the study was to examine the efficiency, efficacy, and operational aspects of the scheme and understand the triggers and barriers that drive the behaviour around usage and refills of LPG by the PMUY beneficiaries

The Indian government launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY or Ujjwala Scheme) in May 2016. This initiative aims to provide clean cooking fuel to households that have traditionally relied on either firewood, coal, or dung cakes or a combination of the three as a primary source of cooking. Since its inception, the Ujjwala scheme has already provided low-cost LPG connections to more than 50 million beneficiaries.

However, a little over a year after the scheme’s launch, media reports highlighted the challenge of low refill rates by PMUY beneficiaries. MicroSave conducted an independent assessment of PMUY beneficiaries in M.P., Chhattisgarh, and U.P. from November 2017 to January 2018, to understand the reasons behind the low uptake of PMUY refills. The objective of the study was to examine the efficiency, efficacy, and operational aspects of the scheme and understand the triggers and barriers that drive the behaviour around usage and refills of LPG by the PMUY beneficiaries. The study tries to answer the following key research questions:
How effective has the PMUY scheme been in reaching the intended target segment?
How different is the profile (demographic or usage) of PMUY beneficiaries from “typical”
LPG users?
Have PMUY beneficiaries who use LPG stoves stopped using traditional fuels such as
Firewood or biomass completely?
What are the triggers and barriers that impede the high uptake of PMUY refills?
What are the ways to improve the uptake of PMUY refills?