Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) – To empower women & improve their health

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched on May 1, 2016, at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh by the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. In May 2016 the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) launched the PMUY as a flagship project to provide clean fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas to vulnerable households based on traditional fuels such as firewood, coal, and cow dung. The use of traditional fuels has adverse effects on women’s health and the environment. The use of LPG as a cooking fuel helps in effectively addressing health hazards associated with the use of conventional sources of cooking fuels.

In this article, we will provide you with complete information about Ujjwala Yojana. Kindly look through it for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Benefits & Feature, Current Progress, News Update, Eligibility Check, Documents Required, Registration, Sign up Log in, Online Form, How to Apply, Beneficiary List, Status Check.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced ” Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana ” on 1 May 2016 with the slogan of ” Clean fuel, better life ”.India is home to more than 24 corer households, of which 10 corer households do not use liquefied gas as a fuel for cooking and rely on firewood, coal, and dung cake. The smoke of these fuels causes alarming pollution in households, which affects the health of women and children. Smoke causes several respiratory diseases and disorders.

There are reports that the smoke inhaled by women from unclean fuels is equivalent to the burning of 400 cigarettes in an hour. PMUY aims to protect the health of women and children by providing clean fuel (LPG) to ensure they do not endanger their health in smokey kitchens or migrate to unsafe areas to collect firewood.

Benefits & Feature of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Scheme

• The Central Government will bear the administrative cost of this support.
• There will be financial support of Rs.1,600/- for each LPG connection given to BPL families.
• The scheme is complementary to the Prime Minister’s ‘Give It Up Campaign’ through which a huge number of middle-class families have voluntarily surrendered their cooking gas subsidy.
• Eligibility for the connection is identified according to the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) list.
• The revised scheme has also increased or expanded the cover by including the beneficiaries of various other government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Most Backward Classes (MBC), Tea and Ex-Tea Garden tribes, Forest dwellers, people residing in islands and rivers.
• The customer bears the cost of the Hot Plate and the purchase of the first refill. The customers have the option to take Hot Plate on purchase of first refill or both on a loan basis from OMCs at zero interest and the same is recovered through EMIs.
• The scheme provided employment of around 1 Lakh and provided the business opportunity of at least Rs. 10,000/- Cr. for the said period to the Indian Industry.
• Benefits under the Covid-19 Relief Package or the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana are also extended to the PMUY scheme wherein over 8 crore beneficiaries of the scheme will be provided a total of 3 LPG gas cylinders for the period between April 2020 to June 2020. The cost for the 14.2 kg cylinders under the scheme will be borne by the government and provided free of cost to the beneficiaries.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Key Highlights

Financial Assistance of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

• Cash assistance for PMUY connections is provided by the Government of India – Rs. 1,600/- (for a connection 14.2kg cylinder/ Rs. 1,150/- for a 5 kg cylinder). The cash assistance covers:
  Security Deposit of Cylinder – Rs. 1,250/- for 14.2 kg cylinder/ Rs. 800/- for 5 kg cylinder
  Pressure Regulator – Rs. 150/-
  LPG Hose – Rs. 100/-
  Domestic Gas Consumer Card – Rs. 25/-
  Inspection/ Installation/ Demonstration charges – Rs. 7/-
• Additionally, All PMUY beneficiaries will be provided with the first LPG refill and Stove (hotplate) both free of cost along with their deposit-free connection by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Objective

• To empower women, especially those hailing from socio-economically weaker sections of the society.
• To reduce the dependency on unclean cooking fuels such as firewood, coal, dung-cakes, etc.
• To reduce and eventually control indoor as well as outdoor environmental pollution due to the use of fossil fuels that lead to various respiratory illnesses.
• To reduce health issues that occur due to the persistent use of unclean fuel or other traditional modes of cooking like coals, firewood, cow dung, etc.
• To prevent the population from a significant number of acute respiratory illnesses.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Current Progress

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched Ujjwala 2.0 (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana – PMUY) by handing over LPG connections, at Mahoba Uttar Pradesh on 10th August 2021 at 12:30 PM via video conferencing. During the event, the Prime Minister will interact with beneficiaries of the Ujjwala and will also address the nation.