Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Choudhary Zulfkar Ali today asked the oil companies to achieve the target of providing 2.10 lakh gas connections to women belonging to Below Poverty Line under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) by the end of this year.The Minister issued these instructions while chairing a review meeting of the department and representatives of the oil companies.Lauding the Union Government’s initiative of extending the Scheme to Jammu and Kashmir, the Minister said it is an ambitious project initiated by the Centre which will immensely help the BPL women in living a healthy and comfortable life.Expressing satisfaction over the distribution process, the Minister asked the representatives of the companies to ensure they complete the target of distributing 2.10 lakh gas connections by end of this year. He advised the companies to set a target of distributing around 69,000 gas connections for next three quarters each to achieve the given target within the stipulated timeframe.
The Minister further informed that he had met the concerned Union Minister who assured him that all possibilities would be explored to extend some additional quota to the State under the Scheme.The distribution should be strictly done as per the spirit of the PMUY so that deserving people avail the benefit of the scheme, he said, adding that the success of the gas scheme in State was phenomenal as it brought smiles on faces of those who over the years have immensely suffered by using traditional fuels.“It becomes imperative that the benefit of the Scheme reaches the deserving people without any favoritism. The clean fossil fuel will provide much needed respite to women falling below poverty line from smoke and various diseases caused by usage of traditional fuels,” the Minister added.
The meeting was informed that, so far, 51 locations were identified by oil companies for starting new gas agencies, for covering the blocks that remained uncovered previously.During the meeting, the Minister urged the concerned to make sure that home delivery is made mandatory for agencies supplying gas cylinders to the consumers.Referring to apprehensions of use of domestic gas for commercial purposes, the Minister asked the Legal Metrology Department to keep a check on this menace so that others may not suffer on this account. He also directed to constitute a joint team headed by Director FCS&CA, Jammu to monitor and keep a vigil over such activities.Secretary FCS&CA Shafiq Raina, Special Secretary FCS&CA Nisar Ahmad, Director FCS&CA Jammu, Director FCS&CA Kashmir, representatives from Legal Metrology Department, Senior Manager Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Ajay Singh, along with representatives of other oil companies and concerned officers attended the meeting.