Govt to give additional 3 crore LPG connections by March 2020

To bring in further flexibility to Indian poor household, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has announced to provide about 3 crore additional free cooking gas (LPG) connections by March 2020. 
 
Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme, the government will reportedly bear Rs 4,800 crore to provide free connections. 
 
Reportedly, Pradhan mentioned that 5 crore connections were to be given by 2018-19 fiscal year end and total Budgetary allocation made was Rs 8,000 crore.
 
PMUY was launched in May 2016 with an vision of giving 5 crore LPG connections to women in three years. 
 
So far, a total of 3.36 crore connections have been sanctioned by the government. 
 
Currently, the government gives a subsidy of Rs 1,600 to state-owned fuel retailers for every free LPG gas connection that they install in poor rural households.
 
Usually this subsidy is supposed to cover the security fee for the cylinder and the fitting charges.
 
Pradhan highlighted that till now the connections were given based on the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC), but now the list has been expanded to include providing free cooking gas connection to all SC/ST households, forest dwellers, most backward classes, inhabitants of islands, nomadic tribes, tea estates and beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Antyodaya Yojana.
 
He further said that a study of 2 crore out of the 3.36 crore PMUY beneficiaries has revealed that 80% has ordered refills after getting LPG connections. 
 
Talking on ease of living, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Budget FY19 said, "The government has decided to raise spending on housing for poor. They aim to provide houses to every poor by 2022. The government will establish a dedicated affordable housing fund."