How the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has Transformed the Lives of Rural Women?

On 1 May 2016, during his visit to Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launchyojed the ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ with an intent to transform the energy consumption pattern of the country by providing affordable and accessible clean cooking fuel to 5 crore women from households classified as BPL under the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 over a period of three years with a budgetary allocation of Rs 8,000 crore.

The India’s rural landscape till recent times has been engulfed in the smoke of firewood’s and other sources of fuel, but with the coming of the scheme the entire rural and urban centers of India have witnessed a massive transformation. It has not just aided in making clean fuel a thriving reality but also prevented several hazardous diseases especially respiratory one caused by inhaling the kitchen smoke and even limits the difficulties of the poor who have been venturing into unsafe areas to collect firewood. The initiative could be instrumental in burnishing its clean energy authorizations and is a stepping stone for India.

To cover a wider spectrum of households, the scheme apart from the BPL families, has been opened to all Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households, forest dwellers, “most backward classes,” , beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Antyodaya Anna Yojana, tea garden and ex-tea garden tribes, and people residing in islands or river islands. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has been a success story inspiring other developing and underdeveloped nations to look up to it as a model program and who aspire to bring similar positive change in their respective society.

As per data, LPG coverage across India has increased to 80%, compared with around 62% before the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. Seeking success, the scheme has already released 3.57 crore LPG connections. The scheme has eventually passed the earlier target of 50 million families and now with an additional allocation of Rs. 4,800 crores in the latest budget aim to benefit about 80 million poor families by 2020. Brining the statistics to 3.6 crores of new BPL families as subscribers for an expensive product like LPG in the duration of 26 months is a commendable job. Here’s a detailed look at the scheme:

India has been an important carrier of the principles and ethics of the Non-Aligned movement and keeping with its ideals has stressed relying on a clean and sustainable source of energy.

What is Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana all about?

The NDA government scheme, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is created with the aim of providing five crores free cooking (LPG) connections to all families below the poverty line, over the next three years i.e. till 2019.

Transformed the Lives of Rural Women under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana?

1. Indian government claims that the drive to provide LPG connections to BPL families will ensure global coverage of cooking gas in different parts of India.
2. it will also empower and improve women’s basic health condition, reduce drudgery and the overall time that is otherwise spent on cooking food.
3. rural youth, engaged in the supply chain of cooking gas via the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, would be able to spot better employment opportunities.
4. women will have to spend less time in the kitchen and they will be able to use the time saved in productive pursuits.

Why is this scheme special?

The program is praiseworthy on several counts. First of all, this is perhaps the first time that the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has started a welfare scheme for crores of women from the poorest families across the country. To date, the beneficiaries have primarily been either well-to-do families or the middle class and the government has only provided LPG cylinders in urban and semi-urban areas. The situation of the poor is further compounded by the fact that they have to cook using fossil fuels, which can lead to health problems among users, in these cases most of are women, due to malnutrition who are frail in any case, excessive working and the pressure to bear multiple children and keep the family going. as per The World Health Organization (WHO)owing to the usage of unclean cooking fuels almost five lakh people die in India. In most cases, these deaths are due to non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, and lung cancer. owing to indoor pollution the Young children can also suffer from severe respiratory ailments.