35.22 lakh BPL Beneficiaries under PMUY in Odisha: Dharmendra

ONI Bureau:  Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday accused the BJD Government of carrying out a false political campaign against Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Odisha.

In response to the Minister Surya Narayan Patro, Dharmendra Pradhan said that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is a flagship programme of Government of India which is intended to provide access to clean cooking LPG to poor households.

Odisha had 19 lakh LPG connections till May 2014 which increased to 72.5 lakh, including 41 lakh, given to BPL families till December 2018. Out of which, 35,22 lakh connections have been given under PMUY.

Further PMUY has played a significant role in significantly enhancing the total number of LPG consumers from 19 lakhs in May 2014 to 72,5 lakhs in Odisha.

Pradhan further mentioned, currently, in Odisha, the subsidy per cylinder is Rs.326.22 which fully protects the consumers from any price increase. Further, to ensure easy access to refills and to address the affordability issue, the Oil Marketing Companies have tied up with Common Service Centres.

Based on the recent analysis for all PMUY consumers in Odisha who have completed one year of installation, nearly 70% households came back for refill and nearly 4.2 lakhs consumers have taken 4 or more refills.

This clearly indicates a marked behavioural change amongst the common man in Odisha to make a transition towards clean and sustainable source of energy, Pradhan wrote in the letter.