PM launches Ujjwala 2.0
Ahead of the approaching 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched Ujjwala Scheme 2.0 which aims to provide free LPG connections to around one crore families of the poor and migrant labourers from the state on Tuesday.
Surprisingly the Ujjwala Scheme 1.0 was also launched from Ballia in UP in 2016 and it led to a big win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly elections in 2017.
The Prime Minister interacted with some beneficiaries of the scheme through video conferencing while Chief Minister Adityanath handed over the papers of the cooking gas connections to five women on behalf of the prime minister.
Congratulating the beneficiaries, the prime minister said that the scheme had illuminated and changed the lives of a number of people and women in the country.
“Our attempt is to ensure that the benefits of schemes or resources reach all,” Modi said during his virtual address.
Launching a scathing attack on the opposition, the prime minister said that the people of the country had to wait for decades for fundamental needs such as road, power, hospital, cooking gas, school, water and home.
“This is unfortunate. This is a fact that women suffered the most due to this. During the last 6-7 years, our government has worked on a mission mode to provide all facilities,” he said.
Remembering hockey wizard and the son of Bundelkhand, Major Dhyan Chand, Modi said that the name of the nation’s highest sports award had now been renamed after the legend of the game.
“Amidst the phenomenal performance of our young players in the Tokyo Olympics, I am sure that this name of Dadda (Dhyan Chand) associated with Khel Ratna will inspire more youths to get inclined towards sports,” he hoped.
Mentioning the work done by the BJP government, the prime minister said that crores of toilets were built across the country under Swachh Bharat Mission while Ujjwala Yojana had given great emphasis to the resolution of health, convenience and empowerment of women in the county.
“In the first phase of Ujjwala scheme, eight crore poor, Dalits, deprived, backward and tribal families were provided free gas connections. During the COVID-19 period, the scheme benefited crores of people. Now the labourers do not have to wander here and there for address proofs. All they need to do is give a self-declaration of address and get the gas connection. The country is moving towards fulfilling the dream of a better life, from the fulfillment of basic amenities,” Modi stressed.
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who was also present on the occasion, said, “The use of wood and coal for cooking has adverse effects on the health of women. The LPG connections have helped women not only to save time but also protect themselves from fossil fuel.”
