65% households still rely on firewood
From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, April 4: Despite a decade of national push for clean energy, Meghalaya remains trapped in a “smoke-and-firewood” era, ranking as India’s second-worst state for LPG adoption with a staggering 65% of households still dependent on traditional fuel.
According to the latest reports, only 29% of households in Meghalaya have an LPG connection, the lowest in the country after Odisha (26%). Within the Northeast, Meghalaya trails significantly behind Tripura, which holds a 36% coverage rate.
In the state’s rural areas, the reliance on firewood persists due to the challenging terrain, which makes the transportation and distribution of cylinders both difficult and costly. High refill prices relative to household income have also hindered usage. This is reflected in the state’s consumption data: Meghalaya recorded the lowest per-person LPG usage in India at just 9.3 kg—well below the national average—indicating that many households with a cylinder cannot afford to refill it.
The state recently faced a severe shortage of commercial LPG, exacerbated by global supply chain disruptions affecting imports, which hit the hospitality and restaurant sectors. In response, the state government has sought a 50-60% increase in LPG allocation from the Centre to address the supply gap.
While officials indicated that domestic supply for households remained relatively stable, the shortage triggered bouts of panic buying. Despite the central government’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) initiative, a previous report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted that Meghalaya continues to struggle with the lowest LPG coverage in the country.
