BHUBANESWAR: Participation of women in organised discard and aggregation of used cooking oil from kitchens across the country will give a major boost to government’s initiative of converting waste to fuel and promote healthy eating in Indian homes, said Union Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday. Attending a webinar on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat- Inclusive Growth for Transforming India’, organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Pradhan said participation of women in making alternate fuel using household waste and used cooking oil is essential. The move will lead to a positive impact on earning of the women, their health as well as environment, he said.
He said that crores of women have benefitted by Ujjwala Scheme. “Due to the scheme, lives lakhs of women have been saved from domestic pollution. In the trying times of Covid-19 pandemic, LPG connection has proven to be a big boon for these women as the government is supplying them free cylinders for three months along with rebate for the months of April, May and June.”
Speaking on how the emerging times will pan out, the Union Minister said new mechanism, businesses and new ways of working and living have to be looked at. He said PNG Ministry, which is encouraging women aggregator and entrepreneurs in the PNG sector, is also mulling to entrust women with responsibility of supply, connection, billing, safety and maintenance in the field for their economic progress.
Comparing India with 15 top countries in the world, Pradhan said that India fared much better in containing the spread of the coronavirus. “We supplied medicines to 120 countries and maintained the supply chain”, he said. FLO President Jahnabi Phookan said, for an Amanirbhar Bharat, it is important to take the women along. By ensuring sustainable livelihood, women empowerment will be a reality.
Chairperson of FLO Bhubaneswar Chapter Dharitri Patnaik mentioned that with the lockdown, construction and infrastructure industry’s demand for steel has gone down but steel prices are still high. She requested the Union Minister for policies to deal with recession and slump in the steel and infrastructure sector. Senior Vice President of FLO, Ujjwala Singhania also spoke.