Under the Ujjwala scheme, women in India are breathing easier

Over the past three years, India has implemented an initiative called Ujjwala, or bright flame in Hindi, that gives free gas connections to women belonging to families below the poverty line. The aim of the program is to provide piped gas connections to poor rural households across India’s 29 states and seven union territories over three years and replace the need for kerosene as the primary cooking fuel. So far, 3 million poor households have received Ujjwala LPG connections. Here’s how it helps women across India breathe easier and live more freely thanks to this life-changing program.

How many households got LPG connections under the ‘Ujjwala’ Scheme?

Under PM’s ‘Ujjwala’ scheme for LPG connections to below poverty line (BPL) families, as many as 1.06 crore LPG connections have been provided till July 2017. The data was shared by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday in a written reply to a question posed by an MP. This is more than twice than what it was when Modi announced that his government would give free cooking gas connections to 5 crore BPL households across India within three years. This translates into an average addition of about 2 lakh new LPG consumers every month since May 2016 when Modi launched Ujjwala Yojana during his address at Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

The Yojana was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016

Since then, more than 22 million people have received LPG connections and a target of 60 million connections by 2019. The name Ujjwala comes from a Hindi word that means to enlighten. Under it, five crore (50 million) women will be given LPG connections over three years. This is part of PM Modi’s larger vision for Clean India campaign: To ensure all citizens have access to clean cooking fuel, electricity and toilets.

The PM launched it from Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh

By 2017-18, 75% of Indian households will have LPG connections under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). For millions of rural families forced to inhale toxic fumes from wood and dung stoves for cooking, it was a momentous decision. Under PMUY, launched on May 1 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, free gas connections would be provided to 5 crore poor households across 8 lakh villages over 3 years.

From April 2015 to January 2018, more than 14 crore LPG connections were provided under this scheme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his ambitious Ujjwala Yojana in 2016. Under its purview, more than 4 crore LPG connections have been provided to women across 5.6 lakh villages till date. The aim is to provide clean fuel and energy security to more than eight crore BPL households by 2022. The rise of LPG as a primary cooking fuel has seen several positive effects on health, household income and overall well-being for poor Indian families. In fact, it has helped reduce smoke exposure among women and children. It’s also likely that it will save lives: As per WHO estimates, air pollution causes 1.2 million deaths annually in India—or one death every four minutes.

Many states have distributed over 80% LPG connections under this scheme.

As per reports given by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, as many as 12 states have achieved 100% coverage under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. The remaining states still need to make an extra effort to meet their target. According to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan: Women’s empowerment is a key feature of PM Modi’s vision for India.