The price of LPG or cooking gas cylinder in Rajasthan will be slashed to Rs 500 for below-poverty card (BPL) families from April 1, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced on December 19.
"For the poor and BPL families, and for those linked to the Ujjwala Yojana, a study will be conducted to categorise them. From April 1 onwards, the cylinder which now costs Rs 1,040 will be provided at Rs 500 to them," Gehlot said, while addressing a Congress rally in Alwar.
The chief minister noted that he would share more details while presenting the state budget.
Gehlot also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the LPG cylinder which used to cost Rs 410 till 2014, before he came to power at the Centre, is now being sold at Rs 1,040.
"A drama was done in the name of Ujjwala Yojana by the Modi government, saying they are providing gas connections to the poor. But the cylinders are empty because the rates are now from Rs 400 to Rs 1,040," he said.
Gehlot's promise to provide LPG cylinders for Rs 500 to the needy section of the society comes at a time when the Congress has begun preparations for the assembly elections in Rajasthan. The polls are to be held in 2023-end.
The chief minister, apart from facing a challenge from the opposition Bhaatiya Janata Party (BJP), is also said to be involved in an intra-party feud with former deputy CM Sachin Pilot.
Gehlot's announcement on LPG cylinders, in the presence of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, is likely to be seen as a signal from him that he would be continuing as the chief minister in the crucial election year. Gandhi had, earlier, said both Gehlot and Pilot "are assets for the party".