Free LPG connections under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana cross 1 Cr

•  The number of rural households were distributed with free LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri UjjwalaYojana (PMUY) has crossed the 1 crore.
• This programme plans to make 5 crore rural households smoke-free during its term by offering clean cooking gas, at a cost of R.8, 000 crore.
• Uttar Pradesh has received the most with 34 lakh connections provided under PMUY. Other states that benefited the most from the scheme are Madhya Pradesh (13 lakh), Rajasthan (12 lakh), Bihar (10.2 lakh), West Bengal (7 lakh), Gujarat (5 lakh), Odisha (4.8 lakh), Chhattisgarh (3 lakh), Maharashtra (2.7 lakh), Haryana (2 lakh) and Tamil Nadu (1.4 lakh).

About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:

• Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Rs.8,000 crore has been earmarked for providing 50 million LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) connections to poor households.
• The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Financial support of 1600 rupees for each LPG connection will be provided to the BPL households.
• The identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Territories.
• It will be implemented over three years’ time frame namely in the FY 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Analysis:

• There are serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuels. According to WHO estimates, about 5 lakh deaths in India alone due to unclean cooking fuels. Most of these premature deaths were due to non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. Indoor air pollution is also responsible for a significant number of acute respiratory illnesses in young children. Having an open fire in the kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour.
• So, Providing LPG connections to BPL households will ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in the country along with empowering women and protect their health. It will reduce drudgery and the time spent on cooking. It will also provide employment for rural youth in the supply chain of cooking gas.
• In order to make this scheme a success, the distribution system needs to be strengthened to be able to meet the expected increase in demand, particularly in rural areas, as non-availability of fuel could push people back towards using solid fuels.
• Ensuring reliable, sustained, last-mile supply would require multiple steps. It requires a large extension of distribution networks, especially in rural areas, since each rural distribution agency typically caters to fewer customers than urban agencies.
• Implementation of direct benefit transfer schemes must be made more robust. Effective monitoring and grievance redressal systems are equally important to ensure that problems in the scheme are highlighted and addressed early.
• The scheme should be accompanied by a focussed public relations campaign to build awareness and create a demand pull, not only for clean cooking but also for good service.
• This scheme targets only BPL households.But, In India definition and execution of BPL line is faulty. So, this scheme should also be extended to non-BPL households who may also not be able to afford LPG connections.

By: Vishal