Handing over LPG connection to a woman beneficiary, that marked a milestone of six crore such connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today hailed it as a revolutionary scheme that transformed the lives of women from poor families. “In short, this is a spectacular achievement by any government in such a short time”, he observed.Speaking after handing over connections to several women at a function organized by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, he termed it as a “momentous occasion” that celebrates clean cooking fuel reaching six crore homes. It was even more heartening as the achievement came when the country is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who envisioned a self-reliant India, a country that occupies a place of pride and dignity in the world order.
Lauding the efforts of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to transform the lives of women, farmers and the weaker sections, he said that poor women getting LPG connections marked a transformation. The scheme represents the true spirit of “Antyodaya’, welfare of the poorest of the poor. It not only brings them out of poverty, but also empowers them to lead life with dignity.Pointing out that air pollution was the biggest environmental cause of death world-wide, he said the Ujjwala yojana frees women from smoke-filled kitchens and health hazards associated with air pollution. He said that India has shown the world that complex problems sometimes have simple solutions.The Vice President also said that India was rising again and added, “ I am sure that in our lifetime we would see it in a position of leadership in the world”.Shri Naidu complimented the Petroleum Ministry, oil companies and the officials for the success of the scheme.