Holi Gift, Free LPG cylinder refills: The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a gift of free LPG cylinder refills for the people of the state. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath just ahead of Holi and Ramzan.?
Speaking at a subsidy distribution programme in Lucknow, the Chief Minister said that Rs 1,890 crore is being released to ensure the beneficiaries can avail of the benefit before the festival.
LPG cylinder free refills: How is eligible??
The announcement will benefit 1.86 crore beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.?
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. In the first phase of the scheme, 1,47,43,862 LPG connections were made available to the poor families of Uttar Pradesh.
"Our government had promised to provide free gas cylinders to every Ujjwala beneficiary during Diwali and Holi. The state government ensures this by allocating Rs 1,890 crore per instalment, amounting to Rs 3,760 crore annually from the budget," the chief minister said, reiterating the state's commitment to the scheme.
He also noted that since Holi and Ramzan are coinciding this year, it is a "gift from the government" that everyone can avail of regardless of their religion.
CM Yogi said emphasised that this campaign has provided free LPG connections to 10 crore families across the country, including nearly two crore in the state.
Highlighting the difficulties people faced before the Ujjwala scheme, Adityanath claimed that earlier, securing an LPG connection required paying bribes of up to Rs 25,000, and even after obtaining a connection, refills were hard to come by.
"Today, this scheme ensures that women do not have to suffer from harmful smoke while cooking," he emphasised.
The chief minister also urged those not yet registered for the Ujjwala Yojana to do so as soon as possible to avail themselves of its benefits. He called upon everyone to celebrate Holi peacefully and joyfully.
With PTI inputs