3.8 crore poor women provided with free LPG connections, target raised to 8 crore.
The first claim is that the government is ‘Ensuring smoke free lives for every Indian family through Ujjwala Yojana’. It says 3.8 crore poor women were provided with free LPG connections and that the target was raised to 8 crore. As per the website of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the scheme aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG, so that they don’t have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood. PMUY was launched in May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. Under this scheme, 5 crore LPG connections were to be provided to BPL families. Under PMUY, cash assistance up to Rs. 1600 is provided for releasing new LPG connection by the Government. The beneficiary bears the cost of Hot Plate and purchase of first refill. The beneficiary has option to take Hot Plate or the first refill or both on loan basis, from OMCs at zero interest rate and the same is recovered through subsidy received by the beneficiary as and when refill is purchased. [...] According to an answer provided in the Lok Sabha by the government, a total of 3.19 crore LPG connections were released under PMUY as of December 2016. This number was at 4.73 crore in July 2018. A press note from the government in February 2018 noted that the Cabinet has approved enhancing the target under PMUY to 8 crore connections from the earlier 5 crore with an additional budget allocation of Rs. 4,800 crores.