State BJP spokesperson Munna Singh Chouhan said that nine out of 13 districts of Uttarakhand, which were having more than 62 percent lPG Connections, had been included now in the Ujjawala scheme after being excluded earlier.
“To facilitate the people of this vast area the State, we have eased the norms of the scheme,” he said. He also hit out at the State Government, saying that they had not completed the survey of BPl and Antyodaya category people, which is why, a large section of the BPl card holders have been left out of the scheme,” he said.
He further said that till 2014, around 13 crore families had been having lPG connection, but now, the figure has shot up to 17.4 crore families. With an initiative of PAHAl, the Union petroleum Ministry has saved `21,000 crore by plugging bogus connection and ghost connection. The funds, collected through these schemes, have been diverted into Ujjawala scheme under which five crore BPl families will be given free lPG connection,” the State BJP leader said.
“However, Uttarakhand Government having failed to complete the survey is coming in the way. They have firmed up a list. However, most of the genuine BPl families were left out. Besides, the Centre has acted on the problem the hill people face in carrying 14.5 kg lPG cylinders on their heads. This is why, they are being provided with 5 kg lPG cylinders,” he said.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is being implemented with an aim to facilitate the provision of deposit- free lPG connections to below poverty line households as a clean fuel solution. Till now, more than 50 lakh connections have been released to the beneficiaries, according to officials.