New Delhi, Mar 11: The Cabinet on Thursday approved a Rs 8,000-crore scheme to provide cooking gas (LPG) connections free of cost to women members of poor households.
The Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana with an outlay of Rs 8,000 crore for three years, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.
The scheme aims to provide on a war footing LPG connections to women members of BPL families.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget for 2016-17, had announced the plan, saying the poor do not have access to cooking gas.
The Scheme will be continued for at least two more years to cover a total of 5 crore BPL households. This will ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in the country.”
The move is aimed at empowering women and protecting their health, Pradhan stressed.
