Ahead of the assembly elections this year, the Sheila Dikshit government ha decided to increase the annual cap on subsidized cooking-gas cylinders from nine to 12 for the poor. 

“The city government today took a significant decision to provide additional help to the vulnerable sections of the society covered under its ambitious Kerosene-free Delhi Scheme launched last year with an aim to make Delhi the first state in the country to become kerosene-free. Delhi Cabinet today decided to increase the number of LPG subsidized cylinders to the beneficiaries of the Kerosene-free Scheme from 9 to 12 in a financial year,” an official press note said.
 
Briefing the media after the cabinet meet, Dikshit said that Delhi had always been in forefront in providing relief to the poor and vulnerable families. The cabinet decision would go a long way in making woman heads of such families comfortable and satisfied as the families would continue to get three additional LPG subsidized cylinder even after the recent decision of the union government.

Last year, when the union government decided to restrict the number of subsidized cylinders to each consumer to six, the city government had decided to bear the difference between the cost of three non-subsidized cylinders and subsidized cylinders in respect of the families covered under the Kerosene-free Delhi Scheme.

Dikshit added that around four lakh BPL/AAY/JRC cardholders eligible for one free filled-in LPG cylinder, LPG gas stove, LPG connection and tube would benefit from this cabinet decision.

She added that her government would release an additional amount of Rs 15 crore to facilitate delivery of the three subsidized cylinders.  The government would bear the cost of subsidy at Rs 350 per cylinder to meet the difference of cost between non-subsidized and subsidized cylinder.