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PM Modi to launch free gas connection with refill and stove ahead of UP polls
The intent of the scheme was announced in the Budget this year. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 announced extending the scheme to 10 million new beneficiaries in 2021-22. Under the Ujjwala 2.0, the Union government will distribute about 10 million gas connections this financial year to the poor along with a free refill and a stove.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the second version of Ujjwala free cooking gas connection scheme along with “a free refill and a stove” on Tuesday from Mahoba district of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, replicating the success of its first version that had earned immense political goodwill for the BJP in the 2017 UP assembly polls, two people aware of the development said.
Under the Ujjwala 2.0, the Union government will distribute about 10 million gas connections this financial year to the poor along with a free refill and a stove, they said requesting anonymity. About five years ago, ahead of the crucial UP polls, PM Modi had launched the first version of the scheme (Ujjwala 1.0) in Ballia, a district in the state on May 1, 2016.
Ujjwala 2.0 is also expected to give a free refill worth over ₹800 and a free stove, one of them said. “Earlier under Ujjwala 1.0, only a deposit-free LPG connection was provided to the beneficiary amounting to a financial assistance of ₹1,600, where beneficiaries also had an option to take a loan at zero interest rate from the public sector oil marketing companies for the hot plate (stove) and the first refill,” the person added.
The intent of the scheme was announced in the Budget this year. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 announced extending the scheme to 10 million new beneficiaries in 2021-22. “Ujjwala Scheme which has benefited 8 crores [80 million] households will be extended to cover 1 crores [10 million] more beneficiaries,” she said in her budget speech.
Besides the free first refill and a stove along with a deposit-free gas connection, the scheme in its new form will have provision for online application. A migrant family can also get separate gas connections, the person said.
“Preference would be given to poor families belonging to the scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) and also for families residing in areas with lower LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] penetration than the national or state average,” he said.
Applicants will be required to fill a simplified form for know-your-customer (KYC), which would not require any notarized affidavit. Migrants can provide self- declaration if they don’t have proof of address, he said. People can apply online through the dedicated portal or common service centres CSCs, or through local gas agencies belonging to the state-run OMCs – Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), he added.
Ujjwala 1.0, also known as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in 2016 to provide only deposit-free LPG connections to the women of poor households.
Initially, the target was set to provide 50 million LPG connections with the budgetary provision of ₹8,000 crore over a period of three years starting from FY 2016-17. Subsequently, considering the success of PMUY in providing access of clean cooking fuel and its resultant health, environment and economic benefits, the target was revised to 80 million connections with the total budget of ₹12,800 crore up to FY 2019-20, the second person said.
The target beneficiaries were initially selected from the Socio-economic Caste Census of 2011 (SECC Data) and the scope was later expanded to more categories to include deprived women in poor households.
“The target to distribute 8 crore [80 million] LPG connections under the scheme was successfully accomplished in September, 2019, seven months ahead of the target date. Implementation of PMUY has resulted in increase in national LPG coverage from 61.9% to 99.99 % as on July 1, 2021,” he said.
As there has been a gap of about 18 months since the last connection under Ujjwala 1.0 was given, the petroleum ministry is using the term Ujjwala 2.0 for this phase of the scheme, he said.
