Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala yojana

India's prime minister decided to bring out the scheme on 1st May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.

With the slogan of "Clean fuel, better life,"

The government launched a social welfare scheme that revolves around the idea of providing LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) fuel to more than five crore rural families who are living under the poverty line by 2019. 

This Yojana will help to maintain the health of the people, air pollution problems, and deforestation as the collection of woods from the forest would decrease. 

The government started the Yojana from the amount of eighty billion from the central budget to run the scheme successfully. 

The necessity of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana 

90℅ of urban area residents use LPG gas, and the rural areas lack the benefit of it. They often cook their meals on fossil fuels and wood, which can be harmful to their health as this traditional cooking method is relatively impure. 

Due to the open fire, the family suffers from noncontagious respiratory illness, which often results in early age death. 

According to the World Health Organization, about 13% of severe health issues in rural areas arise due to cooking on coal or wood, and they state that the open fire is as harmful as smoking 400 cigarettes per hour. 

 It leads to various diseases such as lung cancer, heart diseases, or breathing problems. 

Advantages of conducting Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana 

The yojana helps fix the health issues in rural areas and reduces deforestation as cutting down the trees would be lesser if the households would have LPG fuel for their use. 

The air pollution has also significantly reduced as the open fire for cooking meals is minimized. 

This scheme also creates employment in rural areas for supplying the fuel to every household and enhanced business opening to Indian Industry.

It promotes women's empowerment. This yojana covers five lakh households which is an absolute advantage for the citizens as the BPL family gets to pay an interest-free loan to buy the connection worth rupees 1,600. 

This yojana has improved the "Make in India" campaign.

Eligibility criteria for enrolling in Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana 

Rural women categorized below the poverty line are eligible to get themselves enrolled for Pradhan Mantri ujjawala yojana and should carry the required BPL card to prove the same.

She must be above the age of eighteen years old, and she should have a nationalized bank account in the county under her name. 

If her family already has an LPG fuel connection, they would not stand considered for the above facility.  

The family should not occur enrolled with any other scheme which has the exact dimensions. 

Features of Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana 

It provides LPG connection to over five lakh families under the BPL section, and the government bears the installation cost of Rs.1,600 as per the scheme. 

The loan can hold the cost of buying a stove and refilling the gas, and it would be interest-free and then pay the loan amount through EMI.

Because of the "Give it up" campaign, many middle-class families have benefited from it as they have withdrawn their cooking fuel allowance voluntarily. 

Documents required for enrollment in Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana 

For getting the free gas, the person should have an Aadhar card or Voter identity document, which stands authorized by the municipal committee or the respective rural gram panchayat committee.  

Documents regarding the bank account and details should also be present when enrolling in the scheme. 

There should also be a proof document regarding the income, which is checked by inspecting the issued BPL card. 

The person should also carry a recent passport size photograph and lease agreement along with a ration card.

Process for undertaking the scheme

The woman above eighteen and below the poverty line can apply at the nearest fuel distributor office through an application form.

After submitting the required documents and filling out the form, the LGP fuel distributor officials would check the records. The applicant must provide the correct address and bank details. 

The coordinators would check the SECC-2011 database to know the family's current situation and their income rate. An effort would also occur to match the rest of the documents on the Oil Marketing Companies provided portal. 

After checking all the records electronically on the portal, the LPG connection would get handed out, and the government would bear the responsible charges for it. 

According to the situation and the strength of the family, the Oil marketing company would select the size of the cylinder, which has to get allocated to the family.

Online application form of the scheme 

To acquire the online application, go to the official website, which is pmuy.gov.in, 

Then, you can find the online form displayed on the home screen, and the applicant can download the application form by clicking the three horizontal lines at the corner. 

After the form gets downloaded, get a printout of it and fill out the details such as an address, family members' names, mobile numbers, etc. Paste a recent passport-size photograph on the top right corner of the form, attach the necessary documents with the form and submit it to the nearby department.

Effect of lockdown on Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana 

When the pandemic happened In 2020, the government upgraded its scheme's game to another level by integrating it with Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.

The governments made the cylinder free of cost for eight crore families for three months when the pandemic happened.

It aimed to make the livelihood of impoverished households easier by financing three LPG cylinders from April to June 2020, and it got further extended till 30th September. It covered both urban and rural areas. 

Under this scheme, our country's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has openly declared to deliver LPG gas connections to one crore additional population in the funding of 2021-22 so that this scheme can be broadened and remain active. 

Frequently asked questions related to Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana 

1)How much amount has stood administered to execute Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala yojana? 

A)The government has issued several rupees of 8000 crores to implement the Pradhan Mantri ujjawala yojana.

2)What quantity of money assistance is provided by the government for every LPG connection to BPL families?

A)The government offers money assistance of Rs.1,600 for every LPG connection to BPL families.

3)What is the contact telephone helpline number of Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana?

A)1906 is the contact number of Ujjawala Yojana. 

4)What is the loan's interest rate provided to the applicant who would be getting the LPG connection?

A)The interest rate on the loan is zero percent as per the scheme's guidelines. 

5)What should be the mini women's minimum age of the privilege of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana?

A)Eighteen should be the minimum age of the applicant to avail of the scheme's benefit.