Ever since the current government has come into power, a number of schemes have been put forth to benefit those who cannot afford the basic necessities to live a healthy life. One of the recent schemes that have been put forth is the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme which is meant to benefit those families that are below the poverty line when it comes to the provision of clean cooking fuel. This article talks about this scheme in detail.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme aims to provide clean fuel to women who are below the poverty line who generally use unclean cooking fuels that does more harm than good and replace the same with LPG.
Through this scheme, the Indian government hopes to provide over 5 crore connections of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to women who are a part of families that are below the poverty line. Some of the important objectives of this scheme include:
- Protecting the health of women and empowering them
- Curbing health issues that result from using fossil fuels and other fuels for cooking
- Reducing casualties that occur as a result of unclean fuels used for cooking
- Controlling respiratory issues that occur due to indoor pollution as a result of using fossil fuel that does not burn cleanly.
- Preventing the degradation of purity of environment that is compromised by widespread usage of unclean cooking fuel
Steps to Apply for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
Applying for the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme is not a very difficult task. Individuals will only have to meet the eligibility criteria and provide all necessary documents.
- Individuals will have to first procure the form which is available at all LPG outlets across the country and online at the PM Ujjwala Yojana website.
- This form will have to be completely filled with details such as Age, Name, Bank Account Details, Aadhaar Card number and so on.
- Required documents must also be attached with the application form.
- Individuals will also have to mention the type of cylinder that they require based on their necessities.
- This filled in form with documents will have to be submitted to the closest LPG outlet.
Eligibility Criteria for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
In order to be eligible to receive the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme, applicants will have to meet the following criteria:
- Applicant must a woman above the age of 18 and a citizen of India
- Applicant should belong to a BPL (Below Poverty Line) household
- No one in the applicant’s household should own an LPG connection
- The household income of the family, per month, must not exceed a certain limit as defined by the government of the Union Territories and State Government.
- The name of the applicant must be in the list of SECC-2011 data and should match with the information available in the BPL database that Oil Marketing Companies have.
- Applicant must not be a recipient of other similar schemes provided by the government.
KYC Application Forms for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
KYC application forms for the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme is available in both Hindi and English across all LPG outlets in the country. This 2-page document requires individuals to fill in details such as:
- Name, Age, Address, Location
- Details of all members in a household who are above the age of 18
- PAHAL joining details as all benefits of his scheme will be credit directly to the bank account of the applicant
- Details of bank account including branch and IFSC number along with Aadhaar card details
- Details of Ration Card
- The equipment that is to be selected
Documents Required for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
The documents required for the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme are as follows:
- An authorized BPL Certificate by Municipality Chairman or Panchayat Pradhan
- BPL Ration card
- Identity Proof with photo (Voter ID/Aadhaar Card)
- A passport size photograph that was taken recently
- Driving License
- Any utility bill
- Lease Agreement
- Copy of a passport
- Ration Card
- Possession letter or flat allotment
- Self-declaration that has been attested by a Gazetted Officer
- House Registration Documents
- LIC policy
- Bank statement
The first four documents are mandatory, the others may or may not be required.
Budget and Funding for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
This scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The budget that has been allotted by the government is currently Rs.2000 crore for the financial year 2016 to 2017. These LPG connections will be provided to over 1.5 crore families living below the poverty line.
This scheme will be implemented over a period of three years and a total amount of Rs.8,000 crores has been allotted for it. Money that has been saved due to the ‘Give-it-up’ subsidy campaign will also be used for the same.
Eligible households will receive a support of Rs.1,600 and will be in the name of the female head of the entire household. EMI facilities have also been made available.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme Launch State-wise
This scheme has been launched in a few states so far. The list has been provided below:
- The scheme was launched in Uttar Pradesh on May 1, 2016
- The scheme was launched in Rajasthan on May 15, 2016
- The scheme was launched in Gujarat on May 15, 2016
- The scheme was launched in Uttarakhand on June 9, 2016
- The scheme was launched in Odisha on June 20, 2016
- The scheme was launched in Bihar on June 28, 2016
- The scheme was launched in Madhya Pradesh on July 4, 2016
This scheme aims to bring clean cooking fuel at affordable rates to a number of families living below the poverty line as using unclean fuels not only results in health hazards but also environmental deterioration. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme will ensure that women benefit from this scheme in the highest level possible. Although it has only been launched in a few states so far, a lot of people have benefited from this. This scheme will be implemented over a period of three years.
Distribution and Implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
Across 11 states in India, around 95.1 lakh LPG connections have been issued under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwana Yojana scheme that aims at the welfare of the rural population. The scheme was introduced with a view to replacing unhealthy and inefficient cooking methods with subsidized LPG.
State-wise, the widest rollout of this scheme seems to be in Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for a third of the total connections – around 34 lakh LPG cylinders – registered and distributed so far.
Total number of connections released under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme in India as of November 7th, 2016 is as follows:
| State | Approximate Number of Connections Registered and Distributed Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme |
| Bihar | 10.2 lakh |
| Chhattisgarh | 3 lakh |
| Gujarat | 5 lakh |
| Haryana | 2 lakh |
| Madhya Pradesh | 13 lakh |
| Maharashtra | 2.7 lakh |
| Odisha | 4.8 lakh |
| Rajasthan | 12 lakh |
| Tamil Nadu | 1.4 lakh |
| Uttar Pradesh | 34 lakh |
| West Bengal | 7 lakh |
Contact Information for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Scheme
Details about the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme can be accessed by calling the toll free number 1800-266-6696.