Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Ujjwala 2.0 scheme by handing over LPG cylinder connections to Mahoba residents in Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi will also interact with the beneficiaries and address the nation during the event, which will take place via video conferencing at 12:30 p.m.
“Tomorrow, 10th August is a special day for India’s development trajectory. At 12:30pm, Ujjwala 2.0 will be launched with connections being handed over to people in Mahoba, U.P. Will also interact with the beneficiaries of the scheme. Since its launch, Ujjwala has ensured a life of dignity to our citizens, especially women. In August 2019, the target of eight crore connections was completed seven months before the decided time frame,” PM Modi tweeted on Monday.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had informed in a statement that the prime minister will launch the second installment of the scheme on August 10. “During Ujjwala 1.0 launched in 2016, a target was set to provide LPG connections to five crore women members of BPL households. Subsequently, the scheme was expanded to include women beneficiaries from seven more categories. In the Union Budget for financial year 2021-22, provision for an additional one crore LPG connections under the scheme was announced. These additional connections aim to provide deposit-free PG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase,” the statement had read.
The statement further stated that Ujjwala 2.0 will also provide first refill and hotplate free-of-cost to the beneficiaries, adding that the enrolment procedure will require minimum paperwork. “Ujjwala 2.0 will help achieve the Prime Minister’s vision of universal access to LPG,” it said.
The ceremony will also feature Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
PM Modi announced the Ujjwala Yojana, or Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), as a flagship scheme in May 2016. Its goal was to make clean cooking fuels like LPG accessible to rural households. The event was held in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.