With an eye on the Dalit vote bank, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna’ (PMUY) from politically-sensitive Ballia on May 1. There he is expected to announce giving 5 crore free lPG connections to the Below Poverty line (BPl) families.
Even as a Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs took the decision on March 10, eye brows have been raised as to why the PM would launch the programme from Ballia on May 1. Political pundits see the PM’s visit as an attempt of BJP to launch its polls campaign for the 2017 Assembly polls.
last Sunday 14 cabinet ministers and senior BJP leaders had camped in various districts of UP and organised chaupals listening to the woes of people. They also listened to the PM’s ‘Man ki Baat’ programme with villagers.
BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that the PM’s programme is of great importance as it will provide another facility to the poor of getting free lPG connection alongwith oven and pipes. He however avoided commenting on its political ramification.
“If the PM does something good for the poor people, the BJP is sure to gain from it during the Assembly elections. The NDA has been voted to power to extend help to the poor and that’s what we are doing,” Pathak said.
“In Ballia, around 1.5 crore BPl families belonging to UP and Bihar would be provided free gas connections and the PM will hand over connections to 10 BPl families to kick start the process. This shows Purvanchal is on the priority list of the NDA government,” he said.
Union Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan had visited Maldehpur village on the banks of Ganga on April 24 to inspect arrangements for the PM’s function. Several BJP MPs from the region and Union ministers are expected to participate in the function.
Under the Scheme, Rs 8000 crore has been earmarked for providing five crore lPG connections to BPl households this fiscal. The scheme provides a financial support of Rs 1600 for each lPG connection. While the connection including a lPG cyclinder and regulator would be given free, the cost of the oven and the pipe would be deducted from the subsidy given on cylinders in instalments.
Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is likely to skip the PM’s visit but would visit Ballia on May 2, where he is expected to lay foundation stone of a university and Sports College for which funds worth Rs 15 crores were allocated in the 2016-17 budget.