ONI Bureau: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has hit back at Odisha Minister Surjya Narayan Patro, who had written a letter to him citing failure of Ujjwala Yojana in Odisha. Dharmendra accused the ruling BJD of spreading lies and misinformation on Ujjwala scheme and offered to meet the CM and his associates to brief them about the merits and benefits of the scheme.
“The way BJD is reacting, it proves they are panicking because of the popularity of the scheme in rural household. However, if they really want to know what changes Ujjwala Yojana brought a positive change in the lives of 41 lakh poor families in Odisha, I reiterate my offer. We have no problems in letting them know about the scheme and its benefits,” he added.
He also urged the Odisha Government to help Centre in making the State ‘smoke-free’. “There should not be any politics over such a noble scheme. “Only 19 lakh LPG consumers existed in Odisha prior to 2014. However, the number has risen to 72.5 lakh. We should not forget that PMUY has benefited 41 lakh people across the State.