Ujjwala Diwas seeks to promote safe use of LPG

Accordingly, the LPG panchayats have a fourpronged agenda. They seek to promote awareness about LPG usage, its benefits and reiterate its safety aspects. 

The panchayats also gave out Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) LPG connections to identified and selected beneficiaries. On the occasion, a total of 450 free LPG connections under PMUY were given to the beneficiaries in Ponneri taluk of Tiruvallur district. 

D Rajkumar, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) participated in the event and addressed the gathering of 700 women. 

According to him, in Tiruvallur district, rural LPG penetration is about 87%, while urban reach is 99%. 

“It is expected that through the LPG panchayat platform, it will be possible to reach the target LPG penetration of 100 per cent,” he said. 

By creating this special event, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas through its PSU Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) successfully promoted amongst the rural consumers, the safe and sustained use of LPG through peer group interactions on a large scale, the official added. 

The Ujjwala Diwas also aimed at meeting the enhanced target of enrolling eight crore LPG beneficiaries. Each panchayat had targeted participation by 500 women with a goal of enrolling at least 100 new LPG beneficiaries. 

Safety Literature (Safety Instruction and Insurance cards) were also distributed during the panchayat session. 

In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, a total of 2.15 households exists. Out of this, Indian Oil Corporation caters to 1.21 crore, BPCL to 0.5 crore, and HPC to 0.35 crore. About 22 lakh estimated customers are under the ambit of the Oil Industry to be covered under the Extended PMUY scheme, senior  government officials said.