Mahoba: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched Ujjwala 2.0 from Uttar Pradesh aimed at providing free LPG connections to around 1 crore poor and migrant labourer families in the country.
Surprisingly, the launch of the scheme 1.0 was also from Uttar Pradesh in 2016 from Ballia that led to a big 2017 Assembly win. This time too, the Ujjawal 2.0 scheme was launched before the 2022 Assembly polls.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was in Mahoba for the launch of the second edition of the scheme while the PM and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri joined via video link from New Delhi.
Five women beneficiaries were given symbolic LPG connections by Chief Minister under the scheme 2.0.
Around one crore families would be benefitted in Ujjawala 2.0 scheme in the country. Migrant labourers would be benefitted with relaxed norms.
Mr Adityanath in his brief speech claimed that during Corona period Rs 1,870 crores were spent on providing free LPG cylinders to the Ujjawala 1.0 beneficiaries in the state.
He said in 2014, when the BJP assumes power in the country, the total number of LPG connections in the state was just 1.47 crores but in seven years it swelled to 3.25 crores thus saving government expenditure on kerosene up to Rs 22 crore.
On the occasion, the CM announced that the work of the Bundelkhand expressway will be completed by November 2021 as 70 per cent of the work has been completed.
Besides in the defence corridor, 3,000 acre of land bank has been made in Jhansi and 150 acres in Chitrakoot. Two airports are also under construction in Chitrakoot and Lalitpur.
Yogi Adityanath also said that "Har Ghar Nal" scheme, Bundelkhand region would be widely benefitted.
Before launching Ujjawala 2.0 scheme, Mr Adityanath inaugurated a bio fuel exhibition and launched three green petrol pumps in Muzaffarnagar district.
An LPG cylinder connection through the PM Ujjwala Yojana launched in 2016 from Balia, the birth place of freedom fighter Mangal Pandey in Uttar Pradesh by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is what had emerged as a major reason behind BJP’s big win in the Uttar Pradesh elections in 2017 and the excellent BJP performance from the state in the 2019 general elections as well.
Over 1.47 crore families in UP, covering nearly half the state’s population, got these connections by 2019.
A total of 2.71 crore free refills have been accounted for in UP in the last one year by the 1.47 crore beneficiaries, out of the 14 crore free refills given country-wide to the Ujjwala beneficiaries. The refills are otherwise offered at subsidised rates to Ujjwala beneficiaries across the country. (UNI)
