32 lakh families eligible for subsidised cylinders

Around 32.61 lakh families from Mumbai and urban areas of Thane are eligible to get three additional subsidised cooking gas cylinders. Dharmendra Jore reports.

Around 32.61 lakh families from Mumbai and urban areas of Thane are eligible to get three additional subsidised cooking gas cylinders.

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Of the 2 crore people living in the city, suburbs and the urban areas of Thane, 32,500 families are below the poverty line (BPL), while 32.60 lakh are above the poverty line (APL). The state has 1.70 crore cooking gas connections.

The BPL families that have an annual income of less than Rs 15,000 and APL families, with an annual income of up to Rs 1 lakh, will have to register their rations cards to avail of the facility.

The state Cabinet had approved a subsidy of Rs 370 for every cylinder for maximum three units on Wednesday. Charity and social organisations, hospitals and hostels, too, are eligible for the subsidy, which would be transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The government is expected to spend Rs 1,200-1,300 crore annually on the scheme, which is likely to be implemented after 3-4 months.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had said, on Wednesday, that the state would scrap the scheme if the Centre decides to increase the quota of subsidised refills from six to nine a year. The Centre had asked all the Congress-led state governments to give three more cylinders at low costs, after announcing its own scheme in September.

The state government did not provide subsidy to all its consumers, citing poor financial conditions. Chavan said that the government had already spent huge amounts on drought relief and 7% dearness for its employees.