Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today said that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has been one of the biggest achievements towards women empowerment in independent India. Speaking at a workshop here today on PMUY, he said that in the last five years, we have more than doubled the number of LPG connections.LPG coverage has increased from 55% to 97.4%.the scheme has acted as one of the biggest catalyst of socio-economic change in the status of women in the country.Shri Pradhan said that household pollution has been a reason of health hazard, which has been curbed with the availability of safe and environment friendly LPG fuel to poor women of the society. However, the mission is yet not complete. “Behavioral change, further strengthening of supply chain, shift towards cleaner energy, are some of our key priorities. We are looking for innovative ways to increase refills, sustain adoption’, he added.The Minister said that Climate change is a worry for the world. Energy is an important element of economic empowerment. “We are working on to ensure energy justice for all Indians. Energy affordability, sustainability, efficiency, security. LPG should be the catalyst of socio-economic change.”A large number of PMUY beneficiaries participated in the workshop, and exchanged the experiences, as to how their lives have improved substantially after the adoption of gas chulhas in their homes. The workshop has been organized, in connection with the ongoing international women’s day 2020 celebrations.