Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday announced that beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme will be provided a cooking gas cylinder free of cost as a "Diwali gift". The Chief Minister made the announcement during an event in Bulandshahr where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of multiple development projects worth Rs 632 crore.
Speaking at the event, CM Adityanath claimed that around 1.75 crore families in the state will benefit from the government's decision. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 132 projects valued at Rs 136 crore in Hapur district.
Referring to the Center's recent announcement increasing the subsidy on cooking gas connections under the scheme, Adityanath stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a gift to every household by lowering the cylinder prices by Rs 300. "Now we have also decided that every Ujjwala Yojna beneficiary will be given one cooking gas cylinder free of cost as a Diwali gift," the CM stated.
CM Adityanath highlights BJP's schemes
Highlighting other BJP schemes, the Chief Minister said there are 55 lakh women who have become homeowners in UP under the PM Awas Yojna, while 2.75 lakh toilets have been built in the state under the 'Swachh Bharat' initiative.
"In the last nine years, we all have witnessed a new India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This new India is prosperous, powerful and self-reliant," CM Adityanath said. He also went on to say that the new India has benefitted all categories of people and citizens, including the youth and women of the country after 2014.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said getting LPG gas connections was a difficult task before the BJP government came to power at the Centre in 2014. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a central government initiative that gives financial support for LPG connection to BPL (Below Poverty Line) families.
Modi govt raises subsidy under Ujjwala Yojana
Earlier this month, the central government hiked the subsidy paid to poor women who got cooking gas connections under the Ujjwala scheme, to Rs 300 per cylinder from the existing Rs 200. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched to safeguard the health of women and the households from consumption of unhealthy fuels by providing them with clean cooking fuel in the form of LPG. The scheme is designed to protect the health of women by curbing health issues that result from consuming fossil fuels and other fuels used for cooking.
(With PTI inputs)
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