IT Correspondent
New Delhi, Sept. 24:
With the deadline for registering for free gas connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) (Prime Minister’s Lighting Scheme), expiring on September 30, there is only a week left to avail of this facility.
The PMUY was launched by the union government on May 01, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh
to distribute 50 million LPG connections to women of below poverty line (BPL) families, with an aim to safeguard the health of women and children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG, so that they do not have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood.
This scheme is being run in association with the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. In the first year of its launch, 2.2 crore connections were allotted. In the Union Budget of 2018, its scope was widened to include 8 crore poor households. The scheme led to an increase in LPG consumption by 56% in 2019 as compared to 2014. Over 14.6 million BPL families in Uttar Pradesh, 8.8 million in West Bengal, 8.5 million in Bihar, 7.1 million in Madhya Pradesh and 6.3 million families in Rajasthan, have stated to have been benefitted, under the scheme.
Those wanting to have a LPG connection are required to visit the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana website pmujjwalayojana.com. On landing on the home page, they have to click on the “Download Form’ option and download the form. They are required to fill the details in the form and submit it to the nearest gas agency. Besides the applicants are required to submit all necessary documents along with the form. Once the document verification process is complete, the applicants are given the gas connection.