Govt mulling options to lower income cut-off level for LPG subsidy

The government's subsidy bill per cylinder has grown over the years

With petroleum subsidies expected to touch a four-year high of more than Rs 37,000 crore in 2018-19, the government is mulling options to rationalise the scheme by excluding those with an annual income of more than Rs 5 lakh from getting cooking gas subsidy. 

The current limit — excluding those with an annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh from having liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy — is in place since 2016. This is one of the many options on which the finance and petroleum ministries are deliberating in a bid to bring down LPG subsidies. 

The two ministries