Kolkata, Jan 3 (IANS): LPG coverage in West Bengal increased to 88.1 per cent by the end of 2018 with a customer base of over 1.95 crore, up from 40.5 per cent in 2014, an official said here on Friday.

"In 2014, the LPG coverage in the State was 40.5 per cent with 86.64 lakh customers, while, in 2018, the coverage shot up to 88.1 per cent with 195.75 lakh customers," Indian Oil Corporation's Chief General Manager (West Bengal State Office) and State Level Coordinator of Oil Industry, Amitava Majumdar, told reporters here.

Oil marketing companies (OMCs) would expedite the drive to ensure 100 per cent coverage, he added.

Nearly 12.10 crore fresh LPG connections, including 6 crore connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), have been released in the country during the last four and half years.

In West Bengal, 68.82 lakh fresh connections have been issued so far under the scheme.

According to officials of OMCs, today, 90 out of 100 households have access to clean cooking gas through LPG.

PMUY aims to provide LPG connections to 8 crore households in the country, with a budgetary provision of Rs. 12,800 crore.

In December, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to release deposit free LPG connections to poor families, who were not being considered earlier for LPG connections under the PMUY on account of their names not appearing either in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) list or the seven identified categories - SC/ST households, beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(PMAY) (Gramin), Antyodaya Anna Yojana(AAY), forest dwellers, most backward classes (MBC), tea and ex-tea garden tribes, people residing in islands/river islands.

Now, all poor families are expected to be covered under the Expanded Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (EPMUY)-2 scheme.