This paper attempts to evaluate access to energy through the lens of caste, class, and gender. We use an integrated framework (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)) to analyse Government of India's most recent and possibly the largest initiative for the provision of clean cooking energy, that is, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), and assess the extent to which PMUY is able to enhance use of LPG by overcoming the existing caste, class, and gender-based exclusion. The analysis of PMUY has been supported through theoretical insights from the literature and empirical evidence from India's largest multidimensional energy access database - ACCESS 2018. Though the scheme recognises the pre-existing inequities, our analysis suggests a focus on caste, class, and gender in the implementation procedures would be imperative for the scheme along with others focused on LPG access to achieve its objective.
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