Government Promotes Clean Energy Alternatives to Kerosene

The government of India has been taking large strides towards the development of clean energy options to kerosene in pursuit of a sustainable and eco-friendly tomorrow. The retail sale price of PDS kerosene has been kept at a nil level of under-recovery since March 1, 2020, throughout India. PDS kerosene use for cooking and lighting has been rationalized because of its environmentally degrading properties. To meet special requirements like natural disasters, religious ceremonies, and fisheries, the government has permitted states and union territories to lift one month's allocation of PDS kerosene at non-subsidized prices during every financial year. Further, between 2015-16 and 2019-20, a cash incentive scheme under the Direct Benefit Transfer for Kerosene (DBTK) persuaded states to voluntarily relinquish their PDS kerosene quotas. With this effort, thirteen states became kerosene-free up to the financial year 2023-24.

India has also actively been driving and cooperating with a number of global initiatives that advance the shift toward clean energy. It was a founding member of the International Solar Alliance in November 2015 and was a driving force behind the formation of the Global Biofuel Alliance during its presidency of G20 in September 2023. A Ministerial Roundtable on Clean Cooking was organized at the India Energy Week 2025 to identify challenges of the Global South and learn from India's Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the flagship program to increase access to clean cooking fuel.

In order to bring in a speedier transition towards clean energy, the government has implemented a multi-dimensional approach covering encouraging the consumption of natural gas as a fuel and as a feedstock for growing its percentage in the economy, supporting renewable and alternative fuels like ethanol, second-generation ethanol, compressed biogas, and biodiesel, carrying out refinery process optimisation, and raising energy conservation and efficiency steps. Several policy measures have also been proposed to increase domestic oil and natural gas production. The Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) program was initiated for the promotion of compressed biogas (CBG) as a vehicle fuel, providing a clean and sustainable option.

To illuminate, the government has attained close to universal electricity coverage via schemes like Saubhagya (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) and the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY). All this has practically curbed usage of kerosene as the principal lighting option, extending illumination to the furthest reaches of the country.

Access to clean cooking fuel has been a priority area, and as a result, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was introduced in May 2016. The scheme focused on giving LPG connections to poor families, thereby cutting their dependence on traditional, dirty fuels. For LPG to be more accessible to the common person, the government launched a directed subsidy of Rs. 200 per 14.2 kg cylinder for 12 refills annually in May 2022, which has since been upped to Rs. 300 per cylinder as of October 2023. Consequently, the effective cost of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder in Delhi has been reduced to Rs. 503 for the PMUY  beneficiaries. This subsidy has helped more than 10.33 crore Ujjwala consumers nationwide achieve higher adoption and continued use of LPG.

To enhance the awareness of LPG benefits and promote its adoption, various activities have been undertaken, such as conducting awareness campaigns, conducting enrollment camps and melas, and using out-of-home media like hoardings and radio jingles. Information, education, and communication (IEC) vehicles have been utilized to encourage LPG consumption, in addition to LPG Panchayats and consumer consciousness campaigns under Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra. The government has also provided Aadhaar registration and bank account opening to ease the process of procuring PMUY connections.

Various steps have been taken to ease access to LPG through a variety of modes such as applying online from the website of PMUY and from Common Service Centres (CSCs), double bottle connection (DBC) of 5 kg, and replacement of 14.2 kg cylinders by 5 kg ones. Options to avail new connections based on self-declaration rather than documentation proof of residence or ration card have also been made available for migrant families. To increase LPG coverage, oil marketing companies have authorized 7,959 new distributorships from April 2016 to December 2024, of which 93% are for rural areas.

These efforts have contributed to a dramatic increase in access to LPG throughout India. In April 2016, just 62% of the population had access to LPG, but this has now reached almost saturation level, and it has been able to curb significantly the reliance on kerosene and other traditional fuels. With its policies and measures, the government is still nudging towards a cleaner, greener energy future while seeing to it that affordable and accessible substitutes for kerosene are within reach of all strata of society.