PM Modi To Hand Over Last Of The Eight Crore Gas Connection Under Ujjwala Yojana Today, Seven Months Ahead Of Schedule

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is set to meet its target of eight crore gas connections seven months ahead of its schedule with the Prime Minister handing over the connection in Sendra in Aurangabad today (7 September).

The scheme was launched almost three years back on 1 May 2016 from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh to provide free LPG connections to poor households in the country. The use of LPG has its benefits on the health of women and children, environment and economic productivity of women replacing unhealthy conventional cooking fuels such as firewood, cowdung etc.

The scheme was implemented by three state owned Oil Marketing Companies IOCL, BPCL and HPCL that have implemented the scheme in all the states and UTs of the country in a mission mode. The target of 8 crore connections is now set to be achieved seven months ahead of the March 2020 timeline.

Maximum beneficiaries of the scheme are in the states of Uttar Pradesh (1.46 crore), West Bengal (88 lakh), Bihar (85 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (71 lakh) and Rajasthan (63 lakh) with over 40 per cent of the beneficiaries belonging to SC-ST categories.