Minister for Industries and Commerce Chander Parkash Ganga distributed LPG connections to 50 women belonging to BPL families under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during a function held at Vijaypur today.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that this initiative will help in creating smokeless villages across the State and it is a moment of pride for the women of BPL households.“LPG connection on beneficiary name has given a new identity to her and now she can have a smoke-free, less polluted, convenient and healthy environment at her home”, the Minister said.Ganga said the scheme is more beneficial for the women residing in far flung and rural areas who generally use firewood for cooking which is a difficult task to procure. “The Government has decided to address their problems and lend them a helping hand by providing them free LPG connections” he added.PMUY is an ambitious social welfare scheme launched by Government of India, aiming to provide free LPG connections to women of BPL households in the country. The scheme aims at replacing the unclean cooking fuels mostly used in the rural India with the clean and more efficient LPG.
While appreciating the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ganga said that more than 5 crore BPL families would be provided free connections throughout the country. He also complimented the people who gave up their LPG subsidy to make this initiative a reality. He further said that more than 1.5 lakh LPG connection has already been provided to the beneficiaries in the State.An awareness programme was also organized to provide training to beneficiaries about safety measures while using LPG.Earlier, the Minister also inaugurated various development works including lanes and drains at Ward No. 6 & 8 in Bari Brahmana being constructed by department of Urban Local Bodies at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh. The Minister also kick-started upgradation work of lanes and drains at Ward No. 6 to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 5 lakh.Referring to several development and welfare works being done in the area, the Minister said the Government has prioritized improvement of basic services in every part of the state besides laying thrust on extending a more accountable, responsive and transparent administration to the people.“It is the endeavor of government to make the people equal stakeholders in growth and development of their respective areas”, he maintained.