Ujjwala 2.0

Why in news?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9^th August 2021 launched the second phase of the Ujjwala gas connection scheme for the poor and said it would provide the biggest relief to lakhs of migrant worker families in the country.

About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:

• It was launched in May 2016 and is implemented by The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG)
• It aims to provide LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) connections to poor households.
• A deposit-free LPG connection is given to the eligible household with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre.
• Ujjwala is part of the ambitious agenda for behavioural change that will help India transit to a $5 trillion economy by 2024.

Objectives of the scheme are:

• Empowering women and protecting their health.
• Reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuel.
• Reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel.
• Preventing young children from significant number of acute respiratory illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the fossil fuel.

Eligibility 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.

Ujjwala 2.0

• Ujjwala 2.0 aim to provide deposit-free LPG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY.
• It aims to provide maximum benefit to the migrants who live in other states and find it difficult to submit address proof.
• Now migrant workers would only be required to submit a self-declaration of their residential address to get the gas connection.
• Along with a deposit free LPG connection, Ujjwala 2.0 will provide first refill and hotplate (stove) free of cost to the beneficiaries. 
• The enrolment procedure will require minimum paperwork. 

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’:

1. It aims to provide LPG connections to BPL households.

2. It is implemented by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG)

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer