Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) | Free LPG Gas Connection
Several schemes and initiatives are being taken and launched by the ruling Modi government with an aim of making India a completely developed country. One such scheme launched a few months back is the Ujjwala Yojana or the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana that has been launched with an aim of providing LPG connection to the families that do not have one.
There are many families in the country, both in rural and urban areas that use different kinds if unhealthy fuel for the purpose of cooking. But this is surely not a good practice and so the government has taken this initiative of providing all such Indian households with a LPG connection that will take them away from the unhealthy cooking fuel. Many efforts have been made by different people to promote the use of healthy cooking fuel but then none have been effective. This particular scheme has been running in India for quite some time and has surely manage to bring quite a few changes in the mindset of people for using LPG for cooking. Here you can get all the details about the scheme.
| Name of the scheme | Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana |
| Scheme launch date | 10th March 2016 |
| Scheme launched by | Prime Minister Narendra Modi |
| Objective of the scheme | Provide free LPG connection to families that do not have one |
| Basic target group of the scheme | People or families below the poverty line |
| Duration of the scheme | 2016 to 2019 |
Effects of using unhealthy cooking fuel
There are many people in India who do not understand the importance of using a healthy cooking fuel like LPG. They just tend to go for the cheaply available unhealthy cooking fuel. The main reason behind is surely the lack of money. The use of unhealthy fuel is mainly see in the families that belong to the BPL categories. They do not have the money to buy LPG connection and also they do not know the harm effects that the unhealthy cooking fuels have. The most common used fuel in the BPL houses is firewood. Now here are the harmful effects of the unhealthily cooking fuels-
- It is a fact that the smoke that inhaling the some that is emitted from these fuels is similar to smoking around 40 cigarettes in a days. the women who cook in these fuel as constantly exposed to it, so one can very well imagine the health-wise harm caused to them on a daily basis
- Most of the children who live in house that use unhealthy cooking fuel suffer from respiratory problems. This is due to the constant inhaling of the smoke that is emitted while the fuel is burning.
- Apart from such severe health problems the using of these unhealthy fuels also lead to air pollution which further leads to drastic climate change. The amount of black carbon released to the air due to the cooking in these fuels is too harmful for the environment.
- Another harm caused to the environment and indirectly to human is the cutting down of trees for the purpose of firewood. A lot of trees are cut down for using the wood as cooking fuel.
| Main Unclean fuels used for cooking in India | Cow Dung, Kerosene, Woods, and poor quality coals. |
| No. of Deaths occurs in India due to Unclean fuels | 5 Lakh deaths per year |
| What causes majority of Indoor Air pollutions? | Unclean Cooking Fuels |
| Using Woods as cooking fuel equals | Consuming 400 cigarettes in a hour |
Objective of the scheme
With the above mentioned effects of unhealthy cooking fuel one can very well understand that why the Modi government has launched this scheme. The government wants all the Indian household to use LPG which is an eco-friendly cooking fuel so that all the above mention problems are done away with. Keeping in mind the needs of the people, and their reluctant attitude in buying LPG, the government has deigned this scheme in a way that people are highly motivated in taking and using LPG connection.
Features of the scheme
The main features of the scheme are-
- Under this scheme the government of India will be providing people of the BPL categories with free LPG connection to each of the families. The free connection will be given to families which do not have a LPG connection.
- Under this scheme the BPL family will be recognized and LPG connection will be given to the, along with this a financial support of Rs.1600 will be given with each of the connection.
- Around 5 crore free LPG connection will be given under this scheme.
- The scheme would also try and empower the women by making them the beneficiary of this scheme. This would give them an upper hand in the family.
- For the implementation of the scheme the government has set up agencies that would verify the applications of the applicants and approve the eligible applications. Each of the Oil Management Company are responsible for verifying the applications.
- For the gas stove, the beneficiary can pay the full amount and buy one, or buy it on an EMI basis. For the gas refilling also there will be EMI options available for the beneficiaries.
Eligibility criteria established for the selecting of beneficiaries
It has been clearly mentioned that under this scheme the women beneficiaries would be given maximum preference. Among the women, the candidates belonging to the BPL category would be given a connection first. By making the women of the family the beneficiary of this scheme the government wants to promote their importance in the society. Apart from women, if a family does not have a women then families belonging to the SC/ST or other BPL families would be given preference.
The eligibility criteria mention for applying for this scheme are-
- The scheme is will allow only women beneficiaries and so only female candidates can apply for it.
- The applicant has to above the age of 18 and anyone else in her family should not have an LPG connection.
- It is necessary that the applicant has a bank account in a nationalized bank as the subsidy will be transferred to the bank account directly.
- The applicant has to proof that the applicant belongs to the BPL category, with the help of an Income certificate or BPL certificate.
How to apply for the scheme and details about the application form
The application process for this scheme is very simple. The government has tried and kept the procedure simple so that people do not show reluctant behavior due to a difficult or a long application procedure.
If you want to apply for the scheme then you just need to fill in the scheme application form that is available both online and offline. The applicant can collect the form that is available in all the LPG centers and also available online. Online the form is available for free download. One can download it, fill it and then submit it to the nearest LPG centers.
The form that is available for the scheme is a two page form where the applicant needs to fill in details such as name, applicant address, bank account number and Aadhaar card number. The applicant can also select from two cylinder types that are available. One is of 14.2kg cylinder and then other is 5kg cylinder.
Along with the form the applicant needs to submit a copy of the certain documents. The details are given below.
Documents required to apply for the scheme
The documents that are required while applying for the scheme are-
- The applicant needs to submit a copy of BPL certificate along with the application form. This is mandatory. The certificate has to be authorized by the Municipality Chairman or Panchayat Pradhan.
- Apart from this the applicant has to provide a copy of the BPL ration card and a photo identity card like a voter ID card or Aadhaar card.
- You have to provide a recent passport size photograph of the applicant.
These are all essential documents that has to be submitted with the application form.
Overall benefits of using LPG and this scheme
LPG is a healthy cooking fuel and do not cause harm to the environment or people. Apart from this the scheme provides the following benefits-
| Health benefits of using LPG | No health-wise harm to women or children from smoke |
| Benefit to women | The scheme makes women as the beneficiary, thus empowering them |
| Increase in employment | More LPG users means requirement of more distributors |
| Environmental benefit | Reduction in deforestation and emission of black carbon |
The scheme has come as a benefit to the many families who have to use firewood or any other unhealthy fuel for cooking because of the lack of money. The government will be providing the beneficiaries with free LPG connection so people will be able switch to LPG connections.
Funds of the scheme
Providing free LPG connections would mean that a lot of fund would be require by the government or implement this scheme. The scheme will be partially funded by the money that has been saved from the ‘Give it Up’ initiative that the Modi government has initiated. Around Rs.5000 crore has been saved from the users who have given up their subsidy. Apart from this fund money, the central government and the state government will be jointly funding this scheme.
Response to the scheme so far
From the time the scheme has been launched it has been received fairly well. Even though there have been certain challenges that the scheme has been facing, the scheme has covered a lot of areas and people. Many people have been given connection under this scheme. Many families have come forward to avail this scheme and have chosen a better life for themselves and their families.
Challenges faced by the scheme
Even though the scheme is a progressive one and wants to improve the quality of life to the BPL families, the scheme has faced certain shortcomings. It is not even a year that the scheme has been launched and the government has realized that there are certain factors which are acting as an obstacle to the scheme’s progress. Here are a few-
- Providing free LPG connection is not that affordable and the government is facing problem with the funds. For this scheme to work out properly it is important that the people give up their subsidy. But then there are many families who are reluctant in doing so. It is also noticed that many states the even though the families give up their subsidy, the distributers sell of these cylinder at double rates to the other customers who want extra cylinders. The system of subsidy is not working out efficiently.
- Now another major problem with the scheme is that the people are taking the free LPG connection but not continuing with it. The scenario is that in a year a family needs to spend around Rs.5000 on the refilling of the cylinder apart from the one time connection that they are getting for free. So what people are doing is, they are taking the connection and using the free first cylinder of it. But after that gets over they are not using the LPG any more. They are gain moving back to using the cheap unhealthy fuel.
But then these are just these problems that the government has to deal with. If these loop holes are filled then the scheme can prove to be of great success and meet all its objectives. Now one has to wait and see that by the end of year 2019 how many household have actually received LPG connections and are actually using it. The government is surely making certain efforts in dealing with these problems.
Conclusion:
Environmental experts across the nation appraise this Ujjwala Yojana, which is the bright and most effective initiative to reduce the indoor pollutions and to safeguard women health in every house. However, financial experts raised their worries about tallying those subsidy amount offered by government for making Ujjwala Yojana a successive one.
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