News Release Details

Launch of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
New Delhi   25-Oct-2016


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dir_plDr. Jagadish Mukhi, Hon’ble Governor, A&N Islands, and Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Shaba), Government of India, today launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the A&N Islands at Port Blair on 24.10.2016, in the presence of other dignitaries. About 364 new PMUY LPG connections were handed over to 364 women beneficiaries today.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on May 1st, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. The main mantra of PMUY is Swacch Indhan-Behtar Jeevan or Clean Fuel-Better Life. Under this scheme, 5 Cr LPG connections will be provided to women of BPL households. India is home to more than 24 Crore households out of which about 10 Crore households are still deprived of LPG as cooking fuel and have to rely on firewood, coal, dung – cakes etc. as primary source of cooking. The smoke from burning such fuels causes alarming household pollution and adversely affects the health of Women & children causing several respiratory diseases/ disorders. As per, a World Health Organization (WHO) report, smoke inhaled by women from unclean fuel is equivalent to burning 400 cigarettes in an hour.

Speaking during the inaugural launch of the PMUY scheme in A&N Islands at Port Blair, Hon’ble Lt. Governor Dr. Jagadish Mukhi stated that the PMUY scheme is aimed at replacing the unclean cooking fuels mostly used in the rural India with the clean and more efficient LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). He stated that the scheme is aimed at empowering women and protecting their health, reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuel, reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel, preventing young children from significant number of acute respiratory illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the fossil fuel. In his address he stated that utmost care should be taken on account of safety for the BPL families who have one room accommodation. The women members of the family should be advised and trained by the various stakeholders to educate them on the safe use of the LPG. He requested the implementation of the PMUY Yojana to the 14980 BPL families on a fast track in A&N Islands.

Speaking at the occasion, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray stated that that PMUY is targeted for women’s empowerment, especially in rural India; and accordingly the connections will be issued in the name of women of the households. He further added that the scheme, will benefit the poorest of the poor in A&N Islands. He stated that implementation of PMUY will obliterate the scourge of cooking in unhealthy conditions in the kitchen and in true sense liberate the rural woman from ages of suffering in the kitchen. He explained in details the PMUY scheme to the present audience and welcomed its inauguration and implementation in the A&N Islands.