LPG PANCHAYAT AS A BACKUP TO THE PM UJJWALA YOJANA

-Shikha Mukesh Meena

In India about 70% of population live in rural areas where the practice of cooking food in Chulla’s1
is still very much predominant. Out of these 70% people there are hardly about 14% who have
switched to using fossil fuels realizing the harmful effects of the same2. Due to continuous use of
biomass fuels there is a prolonged exposure to air pollution3, caused due to burning of these fuels4,
in and around the house, which causes health hazards like acute and chronic respiratory diseases,
malignancies of the aero-digestive tract and lungs, burns, eye diseases, low birth weights and
increased infant mortality etc.5. Additionally, demand for traditional fuel also places significant
pressure on local forests and woodlands, contributing to deforestation, soil erosion and
desertification6.

It is usually the women who suffer from the severe health hazards7 caused due to the burning of
biomass fuels, as primarily it is the women who handle all the household work which includes
cooking food three times a day, every day. Additionally, they are also effected indirectly when
they have to spend half of their day collecting these fuels which causes drudgery8. Also, after
women it is the children who become victims of Indoor Air Pollution as they spend most of their

1
The Indian name for a traditional cooking stove, usually sculpted out of clay
2
It is estimated that 86 per cent of rural and 24 per cent of urban household still rely on biomass fuels, “Indian Rural
Women : A Study on Smokeless Chulhas”, Nivedita Dwivedi, Dr. Neelma Kunwar, Dr. Sarika Srivastava, Shodh
Sanchayan, Bilingual journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, Vol. 2, Issue 1 & 2, available at
<file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/10.Nivedita%20Dwivedi,%20Dr.%20Neelma%20Kunwar,%20Dr.%20Sarika%20
Srivastava%20Vol.2,%20Issue%201%20&%202.pdf>
3
It is a common perception that air pollution is primarily caused due to industrialization, motor vehicles, forest fires
etc., however Indoor Air Pollution (household pollution) caused due burning of biomass fuels contributes as a large
part to it, it is 10 times worse than outdoor air pollution.
4
Wood, animal dung, crop residues such as rice husks, etc.
5
“Health and Environmental Effects of Cooking Stove Use in Developing Countries”, Donna M. Staton & Marcus H.
Harding, available at <http://lists.bioenergylists.org/stovesdoc/Environment/staton.pdf>
6
Ibid.
7
As per a WHO report, smoke inhaled by women from unclean fuel is equivalent to burning 400 cigarettes in an hour.
8
Supra Note 2.
time at home, which has given rise in numbers of child mortality9. WHO estimates, about 5 lakh
deaths in India alone are due to unclean cooking fuels10.

The reason behind such rampant use of these old traditional/Harmful methods of cooking is lack
of awareness among people regarding the harmful effects of cooking with biomass fuels and
limited access to fossil fuels such as kerosene or gas, or to electricity. Also access to biomass fuels
is easier and cheaper to rural people what with the closed proximity of forest, husk left after
harvesting, degradable wastes from animals etc.

In view of the above, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (“PMUY”) was launched by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 1st May 2016, in Uttarakhand in which it was emphasized by him, the
need to provide LPG connections to poor households (increasing access to fossil fuels to counteract
the harmful effects of biomass fuels) and to empower the women from such degradable
situations11.

9
The WHO household air pollution and health report states that over 50% of premature deaths among children under
five are due to pneumonia caused by particulate matter (soot) inhaled from household air pollution & over 3.8 million
premature deaths annually from non-communicable diseases including stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer caused due to exposure to household air pollution, “Household air
pollution and health”, World Health Organisation, available at < http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/
>
10
Rising Rural India, Kurukshetra: A Journal on Rural Development, June 2016: Volume 64, available at <
http://yojana.gov.in/20-5-16%20Final%20Kurukshetra%20FS-----.pdf>
11
“PM Narendra Modi’s Ujjwala Yojana makes rapid progress; here’s what you really must know”, The Financial
Express, May 29th , 2017, available at < http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modis-ujjwala-
yojana-makes-rapid-progress-heres-what-you-really-must-know/690407/>
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

This scheme was launched with the aim to provide Five crore LPG connections to Below Poverty
Line (“BPL”) families with a support of Rs 1600 per connection in the next three years. The
identification of eligible BPL families was be done through socio economic caste census data,
made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Territories. In order to empower
the women the connections were to be in women’s name. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
was to implement this welfare scheme12.

This scheme will also result in employment opportunities for around 1 lakh people along with new
business opportunities worth Rs 10 crore over the period of three years from 2016. It will also help
in providing a great boost to the ‘make in India’ campaign as all the manufacturers of cylinders,
gas stoves, regulators, and gas hose are domestic13.

The Prime Minister had, in one of his “Man Ki Baat” address to the nation on All India Radio, had
appealed to the citizens to give up their LPG subsidy14, in order to support this scheme, to which
the nation had responded in a very positive manner and, as per latest statistics, more than one crore
people had surrendered their LPG subsidy, thereby saving a whopping Rs 5,000 Crore on account

12
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna, Official Web-site, available at < http://www.pmujjwalayojana.com/>
13
Ibid.
14
Available at < https://www.narendramodi.in/mann-ki-baat >
of subsidy annually15. He had promised to lighten the ‘Rasoi’ (kitchen) of the poor with the amount
saved from the surrender of subsidy by the affluent class16.

As of now 709 districts have been covered with 3, 00, 57,020 connections to BPL families. To say
the least, this scheme has been successful implemented and has helped women live in a more
dignified manner by providing them the access to clean fuel, saving them from the possible health
hazards, providing children with a safe environment, etc.

To supplement this scheme the Central government has launched LPG panchayats as a backup to
PMUY.

LPG Panchayats

These panchayats will be launched country wide as a backup to the PMUY to distribute LPG
connections among rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes17. The first
of these was launched by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan at
Mota Ishanpur village in Gandhinagar district in Gujarat on 23rd September 201718.

The aims of these panchayats is to spread awareness among the rural population using LPG
connections about how to properly use clean fuel and its useful benefits. They would provide an
interactive communication platform to trigger discussion through sharing of personal experiences
of using clan fuels. They would also educate LPG users about proper safety precautions to be taken
while using LPG, its benefit to the environment, its effect on women empowerment and health19.

One lakh LPG panchayats will soon be activated across the country under this scheme during the
next one and a half years20. Through officials of oil PSUs, NGOs, Asha workers and social

15
Within 16 months of the launch of PMUY by PM Modi, the oil industry facilitated LPG connections to some three
crore beneficiaries. This includes some 11.39 lakh in Gujarat. A significant chunk of the targeted Rs 8,000 crore fund
for PMUY comes from cooking gas users who gave up their LPG subsidies.
16
Supra Note 14.
17
“Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan unveils LPG Panchayat in Gujarat”, The Hindustan Times, September 24,
2017, Available at < http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/union-minister-dharmendra-pradhan-unveils-lpg-
panchayat-in-gujarat/story-H2z8EtHHj2w7hW8CDZ3NJI.html >.
18
“Pradhan Mantri LPG panchayat launched in Gujarat”, The Indian Express, September 24, 2017, available at <
http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2017/sep/23/pradhan-mantri-lpg-panchayat-launched-in-gujarat-
1661722.html>
19
Ibid.
20
“1 lakh LPG panchayats over next 18 months”, The Times of India, September 23, 2017, available on <
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/1-lakh-lpg-panchayats-over-next-18-
months/articleshow/60800406.cms>
workers, the LPG panchayats aims to connect with the beneficiaries of the PMUY to resolve issues
and wrong beliefs that they may have, the agenda would also include safe practices, quality of
service provided by distributors and availability of refill cylinders21.

Now What?

With the successful implementation of PMUY and the fulfillment of the aims of this scheme, the
government has come up with Ujjwala Plus Yojana (“UPY”), under which BPL families will be
given free fuel cylinder connections, which have been acquired by donation22.

UPY was declared in August 2017. This scheme is a gift from the central government to families
belonging under BPL category. These announcements were made by the Minister of Oil
Department, Dharmendra Pradhan23.

The PMUY and LPG panchayat schemes have very successfully bought positive changes to the
life of many24. This has been an important step on part of the government to reduce the disparity
between the rich and the poor and providing them with more healthy and efficient ways of living.

21
Ibid.
22
“Ujjwala Plus Scheme: Sponsor LPG connection, get tax relief”, Available at < Ujjwala Plus Scheme: Sponsor LPG
connection, get tax relief >
23
Ibid.
24
“Target of 1.5 crore LPG connections under PMUY for 2016-17 achieved: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan”, The Economic Times, available at < http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/target-
of-1-5-crore-lpg-connections-under-pmuy-for-16-17-achieved-petroleum-minister-dharmendra-
pradhan/articleshow/56457684.cms >