Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a boon

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched recently to provide free LPG connections to five crore families across the country in the next three years. The scheme is a step in the right direction, but implementation will hold the key. Under the recently announced Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme, free LPG connections will be provided to women who belong to BPL (below-poverty- line) households. According to the scheme, each beneficiary will receive monetary support of Rs.1600 to get a cooking gas connection.

In India the poor especially those in rural areas have limited access to LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), which is the household cooking gas. The spread of cooking gas has mainly taken place in the semi-urban and urban areas covering mostly the affluent and the middle-class families. Additionally, serious health hazards are associated with the alternate fuels such as wood, dried cow dung, kerosene and low quality coal which the poor use for cooking.

World Health Organization reports an estimated five lakh deaths a year in India are caused by unclean cooking fuels, while a much larger number suffer from a range of respiratory illnesses. Studies reveal that having an open wood fire in the kitchen is almost as poisonous as 400 cigarettes in an hour. Crores of women and girls are exposed to household air pollution, which is caused by the use of solid fuels such as coal, dung cakes or biomass which is used for cooking in improperly ventilated kitchens and houses.

Health experts have confirmed that smoke released from the burning process contains hazardous substances lead to fatal diseases. According to WHO, around three billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and simple stoves burning biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal across the world and over four million people die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels.

The eligible BPL candidates who are interested in the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) will have to go to the nearest LPG outlet or distribution center and ask for the prescribed application form. The application form can also be downloaded online. The applicants need to fill in their Aadhar number, contact details, savings account number, contact details and the declaration form on the last page. The applicants can opt either for a five KG or 14.2 KG cylinder. The individual has to furnish all relevant documents to establish authenticity.

The subsidies for LPG would be provided directly into the savings accounts of the women in need so that the possibility of corrupt practices is eliminated. This measure is expected to also increase the number of savings account applications especially in the rural areas. Eligibility Criteria for the Scheme: The woman applicant must be minimum 18 years of age as on 1st May 2016; She should belong to a BPL household; Her house should not already own an LPG connection According to reports, the BPL families will be identified after consultation with the Union territories and the state government.

Ensuring Affordability
The move to provide concessional LPG connections is a crucial move in the right direction but additional steps need to be taken to ensure that all homes in India use modern fuel for cooking by 2019. Affordability is one major concern as households shift from solid fuels to modern fuels. Merely subsidized connections provided by the Ujjwala Yojana Scheme will not be sufficient.

There have been state-level schemes earlier like the Deepam Scheme in Andhra Pradesh, but they were not successful in meeting their goals. As per the current scheme, these low income households will still have to bear the cost of the stove and other accessories as well as the price of the LPG cylinder (less the subsidy). (Courtesy: https://factly.in)

By Pradeep