New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said as much as 45 per cent of the total 4 crore LPG connections given under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the past four years were allotted to Dalits and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. He was interacting with the beneficiaries of the PMUY scheme through a web-based interaction.“Of the more than 4 crore LPG connections given under PMUY, 45 per cent beneficiaries are dalit and tribal families,” the PM said, adding that his government has provided more than 10 crore LPG connections to households in the past 4 years as compared to 13 crore LPG connections given to households since independence.
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Modi explained that the government has revised the target of providing 5 crore LPG connections to BPL households to 8 crore BPL families by 2020 at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore. He also said that 81 per cent of the villages in the country have more than 75 per cent LPG penetration while 70 per cent of the villages have 100 per cent LPG penetration at present.
“I am happy to tell you that on 20 April when Ujjwala Day was celebrated, around 11 lakh LPG connections were give and 16,000 LPG panchayats were held across the country in which 50 lakh beneficiaries participated,” Modi said.
The PM said PMUY has had fourfold benefits for the masses including empowerment of women and the household, pollution-free household, economic security and has helped in conserving the overall environment by reducing air pollution and cutting of trees for fuel.
He added that dalit families were allotted only 445 petrol pumps between 2010 and 2014 while the BJP government has allotted 1,200 petrol pumps to Dalits in the last four years. He also said the government has provided LPG gas distributorship to 1,300 dalit families since 2014 as compared to 900 provided in four-year period between 2010 and 2014.