(LiveMint)
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), the welfare scheme brought by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government akin to the previous regime’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, promising energy security to the poor, has covered more than 2 crore households within 11 months of launch.
The scheme, which offers liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections to women below poverty line without upfront charges, exceeded its target for the 2016-17 fiscal of 1.5 crore connections in eight months since its launch last May and is gathering pace as access to clean energy has been set as a priority in the hydrocarbon sector.
The budget for the scheme was revised to Rs2,500 crore for the first year, up from Rs2,000 crore earmarked originally. The scheme aimed at giving rural folks relief from smoke in the kitchen and the ailments it brings, bolstered Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) pro-poor pitch in the recent assembly polls including in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state accounting for about 30% of the Ujjwala beneficiaries.
