In implementation of the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojna Maharashtra is in the lead. The scheme aims to promote clean fuel use and also empowerment of women along with improved health status. Under this scheme till now 75 percent eligible beneficiaries who are below poverty line have benefitted from LPG connections.
In Maharashtra nearly 45 lakh families are under below poverty line, out of them 16,77,,000 families have applied free LPG connections during last eight month. Under this scheme 13, 22,000 beneficiaries have been found eligible for this facility. Various LPG companies so far have provided LPG connectivity to nearly 10,11,000 BPL households.
In this connection giving more information Regional Officer from Hindusthan Petroleum Corporation Mr. Arun Bansal said that, BPL families receiving LPGconnectivity from rural areas are to the maximum. In this connection the districts which are below the national average in LPG connectivity have been given top priority.
A notable thing is that Maharashtra state has completed the target of such connectivity in a short period of 8 months. The BPL families who did not even dream of LPG connectivity, that too just free of cost not only expressed happiness but have also expressed obligation towards the government. In this regard, resident of Majalgaon Disrict Beed Radha Thote said that,
Due to this scheme, Women under BPL have got rid of the traditional and age old chulha used eventually till now for cooking food this also has given boost to the use of LPG in place of the firewood, coal and dung cake.
If the process issuing LPG connections is kept on with the same momentum, it will definitely help in bringing down the health problems found in womens, this will also help in reducing air pollutions as well as deforestations, which presently is seen to have reached to alarming extend.
More and more use of LPG throughout the country will eventually help in the dream of making Kitchens smokeless in rural India within a very short span of period.
