Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 31
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) which aims to provide free LPG connections during the three financial years starting from 2016-17 to five crore families living below the poverty line in the country was launched for Nagaland by Minister for Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Imkong L. Imchen on Wednesday at IMC Hall Dimapur.
The PMUY scheme will benefit 1.8 lakh beneficiaries in the State in two years to be indentified through the 2011 socio economic census data. 20 beneficiaries were handed LPG connections at the launching programme.
Imchen shared concern on the shortage of LPG in the State and appealed to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to address the issue while calling on the mainland media to address the issues of Northeast and not to isolate the region.
“Technical issues involved are secondary but supplying sufficiently should be the target as LPG connection is an essential commodity,” the Minister added.
The PMUY focus will not only benefit less privileged women but address the environment issue by discouraging felling of trees for domestic purposes which will be replaced by LPG, Imchen added.
He said the scheme aims to safeguard the health by providing a clean cooking fuel without compromising the environment and health. Imchen also called for eradicating surplus hoarding by suppliers at the inconvenience of customers.
“Subsidised program has always been practised in the country but the subsidy is not at the advantage of genuine persons,” Indian Oil-Assam Oil Division (AOD) Executive Director, Dipankar Ray said during the programme. Ray attributed the shortage of LPG in the State to the “storage capacity and no access to port” and admitted “there is no denying that there is availability problem.” He, however, maintained that the storage capacity in Dimapur was in the process of expansion.
Ray said that the launch of PMUY was delayed for a period of one year in Northeast region owing to technical reasons and that Nagaland was the second State after Assam where PMUY scheme has been launched.
Under this PMUY scheme, LPG connections will be provided to BPL families in the name of women of the families.
"The Centre will provide a support of Rs 1600 per connection to the beneficiaries, which shall make LPG connection more affordable and the target of central government is 90 percent where BPL families who do not have LPG connection would be covered through PMUY,” said Ray while briefing media persons after the launch of PMUY.
The launch of PMUY in Dimapur was graced by Parliamentary Secretary for Economics & Statistics, Tovihoto Ayemi and Dimapur Deputy Commissioner Kesonyu Yhome, IAS and other dignitaries.
