Ujjwala Gas Scheme – Objectives | Benefits | Eligibility Criteria and Much More!

‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY) was launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) in May 2016. This flagship program was to supply rural and poor homes with clean cooking fuel, primarily LPG.

In the past, these households used fuels like firewood, coal, and cakes made from cow dung, which was bad for their health and the environment. The program was introduced by the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi, on May 1st, 2016, at Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.

One of the most crucial subjects for the UPSC IAS exam is Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). In the General Studies Paper-2 Syllabus and the General Studies Paper-1 of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus, it covers a sizable portion of the Government Schemes subject.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Objectives

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was initiated to provide pure fuel to women living in destitution. The use of filthy fuels for heating is detrimental to human health. Below are the objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:

  • To emancipate women and safeguard their welfare.
  • To reduce the health risks associated with the use of polluted fossil fuels and other culinary fuels.
  • To reduce interior air pollution caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, which causes respiratory problems.
  • To prevent the degradation of environmental purity caused by the extensive use of unclean culinary fuels.

Advantages of the Ujjwala Gas Scheme

The Government of India offers financial support for PMUY connections in the amount of Rs. 1600 (for a connection involving a 14.2 kg cylinder or Rs. 1150 for a 5 kilogram cylinder). The financial aid is used to:

  • Cylinder Security Deposit: Rs. 1,250 for a 14.2 kilogram cylinder and Rs. 800 for a 5 kg cylinder
  • Pressure Regler: 150 rupees
  • LPG Hose: 100 rupees
  • 25 rupees for a domestic gas consumer card
  • Charges for Inspection, Installation, and Demonstration – Rs. 75

Additionally, the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) will offer all PMUY beneficiaries a free initial LPG refill and stove (hotplate), as well as a free connection.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) recipients would receive a subsidy of Rs. 200 each 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per year in 2023–2024, as authorized by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana eligibility

Anyone can apply for the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana if they meet the requirements listed below:

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  1. The candidate must be a lady who is older than 18 years old. She must also be an Indian national.
  2. She should be from a low-income family, and nobody else in the home should have an LPG connection.
  3. The UT/State Governments have established a particular upper limit on the family’s total monthly income.
  4. The applicant’s name must appear on the SECC-2011 list and must correspond to the data supplied in the BPL database of the oil marketing businesses.
  5. The applicant should not be registered under any other government program offering a similar benefit.

In addition to the aforementioned, the applicant must additionally present a collection of documents proving her identification, BPL status, etc.

Difficulties Related to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

The implementation of the PMUY program presented the administration with a number of obstacles:

  1. Identifying low-income households was difficult due to a lack of precise data identifying eligible households. Using the SECC-2011 data, it was discovered that some deserving households needed to be identified during fieldwork.
  2. A few affluent households were listed as BPL households, indicating that the SECC data were misused. This made it challenging to validate the authenticity of the SECC database’s data.
  3. Beneficiaries required more education regarding safety requirements for cooking on an LPG stove, particularly the impoverished and illiterate.
  4. Numerous deserving households lacked the required documents, such as ration cards and Aadhaar cards, which prevented them from participating in the program.
  5. Due to law and order issues or their classification as forest areas, it was difficult to establish distributorships in certain areas due to the limited reach of LPG distribution. Therefore, households in these regions remained cut off from the program and lacked access to greener heating fuel.

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