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New Delhi : Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on March 6, 2020, said that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has been one of the biggest achievements towards women empowerment in independent India. Speaking at a workshop on PMUY here, he said that in the last five years, we have more than doubled the number of LPG connections.
LPG coverage has increased from 55% to 97.4%. The scheme has acted as one of the biggest catalyst of socio-economic change in the status of women in the country, Pradhan said. He said that household pollution has been a reason of health hazard, which has been curbed with the availability of safe and environment friendly LPG fuel to poor women of the society. However, the mission is yet not complete.
“Behavioural change, further strengthening of supply chain, shift towards cleaner energy, are some of our key priorities. We are looking for innovative ways to increase refills, sustain adoption,” he added, according to a PIB release. Pradhan said that Climate change is a worry for the world. Energy is an important element of economic empowerment. “We are working on to ensure energy justice for all Indians. Energy affordability, sustainability, efficiency, security. LPG should be the catalyst of socio-economic change,” he said.
A large number of PMUY beneficiaries participated at the workshop and exchanged the experiences as to how their lives have improved substantially after the adoption of gas chulhas at their homes. The workshop has been organised in connection with the ongoing international women’s day 2020 celebrations.