Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant today rolled out the Goa Ujjwala Yojana 2026, a State government initiative that will provide eligible households with Rs 3,000 a year to meet their cooking-fuel expenses during 2026-27.
Under the scheme, the amount will be paid in a single instalment through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-linked bank account. The government has made a provision of Rs 100 crore for the programme and there is no income-based eligibility limit.
Sawant said the initiative delivers on the government’s announcement of providing support equivalent to three LPG cylinders. Although three cylinders at the current rate of around Rs 956 each would cost Rs 2,868, the State has fixed the annual assistance at Rs 3,000.
Beneficiaries will be covered through two routes. People already receiving Griha Aadhaar assistance and women covered under the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS) will be considered using existing government records. Their LPG or PNG connection, however, will have to be verified.
Applicants from these categories will need to furnish the prescribed form along with their Aadhaar details, LPG book or PNG connection particulars and an Aadhaar-linked bank passbook.
A separate provision has been made for residents who are not beneficiaries of either scheme. Under the open category, applicants must be 18 years or above, be residents of Goa with a valid EPIC and have a domestic LPG or PNG connection. The connection may be registered either in their own name or in the name of a family member. Widows, widowers and divorcees can also apply if they meet the other requirements.
The government has clarified that the benefit will be restricted to one payment per household each year, regardless of how many LPG or PNG connections are held by the family.
Application forms will be available through 191 gram panchayats and municipal offices. Completed forms can be submitted between September 5 and September 8 through Panchayat Secretaries, Swayampurna Mitras or other officials authorised for the process.
The State government plans to commence the first round of DBT payments on September 9 or 10, depending on the volume of applications received.
Sawant has appealed to beneficiaries to avoid overcrowding at government offices, pointing out that Panchayat and municipal offices will also function on Sunday to assist residents with applications.
The government has also simplified the documentation process. LPG consumers can submit a photocopy of the first page of their LPG book, while PNG consumers can provide a copy of their PNG bill or service agreement. An income certificate will not be required.
Sawant said households that do not currently have an LPG connection should also be guided towards the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) of the Union government, under which eligible families can obtain assistance for a new LPG connection.
He further called upon Panchayat representatives and Swayampurna Mitras to identify families without cooking-gas connections and help them access the appropriate central scheme through LPG distributors and oil companies.
Households that have recently acquired an LPG connection will also be eligible to seek assistance under the Goa scheme, provided they satisfy the prescribed conditions.
The Chief Minister said Goa had achieved kerosene-free State status and urged households that continue to depend on other cooking fuels to obtain a gas connection.
