C'garh: 16.50L women get LPG connections under Ujjwala scheme

Raipur: About 16.50 lakh LPG connections were distributed so far to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families under the 'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana' (PMUY) in Chhattisgarh.

"Under PMUY which was launched on August 13, 2016, till date women of 16.50 lakh poor families have been provided free domestic gas connections," State's Food and Civil Supply Minister Punnulal Mohile told reporters here.

"In the year 2003, 6.80 lakh families had domestic gas connection in the state, which has currently increased to 36.38 lakh," he said.

After implementation of the Ujjwala scheme, the LPG connection coverage in the state has increased from 34 per cent to 65 per cent, he said.

Chhattisgarh is the first and the only state of the country, where beneficiaries of this scheme are being provided double burner stove and first free refill at the nominal registration cost of Rs 200, the minister added.

Mohile, who also holds consumer protection and gramodyog departments, said under the leadership of Chief Minister Raman Singh, the state government has made continuous improvement in Public Distribution System (PDS) in the last 14 years, relieving poor people of the concern for food.

It is the first state of the country that enacted Food Security Act and gave right to food to lakhs of poor people.

Under the 'Mukhyamantri Khadyaan Sahayata Yojna', nearly 57.72 lakh ration card holder families in the state are being provided monthly supply of rice at only Rs 1/kg through PDS, he said.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.