State Govt claim on PMUY misleading: Dharmendra

Pradhan was responding to December 12 letter from Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Surya Narayan Patro where he maintained that the rate of refill in Odisha has been very low.

BHUBANESWAR: A day after the Odisha Government alleged that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has failed to serve its purpose in the State, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan described such a conclusion as factually incorrect, absolutely unsubstantiated and completely misleading.

Referring to a recent analysis for all PMUY consumers in Odisha, which completed one year of installation, the Union Minister said nearly 70 per cent households came back for refills and nearly 4.2 lakh consumers have taken four or more refills. “This clearly indicates a marked bevavioural change amongst the common man in Odisha to make a transition towards clean and sustainable source of energy,” he said and added, “society has acknowledged the relevance of PMUY on account of its health benefits, environment dividends, time saved and utilised for gainful economic activities leading to empowerment of women.”

Pradhan was responding to December 12 letter from Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Surya Narayan Patro where he maintained that the rate of refill in Odisha has been very low. Stating that PMUY is a flagship programme of the Government of India which is intended to provide access to clean cooking LPG to poor households, the Minister claimed that it has been immensely useful in transforming the lives of underprivileged, especially poor women and children. “Access to clean LPG has freed poor households from indoor pollution that causes respiratory and lung diseases,” he said and added, “Poor women of Odisha have been relieved from the drudgery of collecting firewood.”

The wide gamut of collateral benefits such as mitigation of the risks associated with venturing into the forest and time benefits resulting in economic gains and social empowerment has been upheld by the international organisations of repute such as WHO, the Union Minister said and added, a plethora of academic and scientific studies by Kirk Smith from University of California, Global Alliance for clean cooking stoves and IHS Markit have recognised the positive outcome of this flagship programme to make villages smoke free.

The Union Minister said subsidy on LPG is transferred directly to the bank account of beneficiaries through DBTL (PAHAL) eliminating leakages in transfer and role of middleman. Currently, in Odisha, the subsidy per cylinder is `326.22 which fully protects the consumers from any price increase, he said and added that to ensure easy access to refills and address the affordability issue, the oil marketing companies have tied up with common service centres and are also encouraging PMUY households to take 5 kg refill.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com