Odisha achieves 10 per cent growth in LPG penetration : Swaminathan
10 May, Bhubaneswar
Odisha has achieved a LPG penetration growth of around 10 per cent during the last one year, after the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY), according to IOCL DGM LPG G Swaminathan.
Addressing a press conference here on the completion of a year of the PMUY, Swaminathan said the LPG penetration was 31.9 per cent in April 2016 and 32 per cent in May 2016. It went up to 41.7 per cent in March this year and 43 per cent in April 2017.
The LPG coverage in terms of coverage has also increased from 20 per cent in June 2014 to 43 per cent at present.
The PMUY was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1, last year with an objective to transform the lives of women by providing a cleaner and greener fuel and save people from many diseases.
He said, the penetration growth of LPG in Odisha was in line with the national growth. As on May 1, 2017, the PMUY connections crossed 2.2 crore mark in the country.
The IOCL DGM said the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has envisioned to provide 30 lakh new LPG connections in Odisha by 2019. Last year, 10.89 lakh new LPG connections were given to BPL women through 547 LPG distributors in the state.
He said, during the period the company has organised programmes in 2,094 gram panchayats to distribute new gas connections under PMUY to sensitise the people about the safety requirements.
Mr Swaminathan said the company targeted to cover the rest of the gram panchayats in Odisha in the current year.
The Union government, he said, has released Rs 174.35 crore towards the cost of LPG connections under the scheme in Odisha. In addition, Rs 80.84 crore has been contributed by Oil marketing companies towards the soft loan for procuring refills and LPG stove.
During the period as many as 1,73,000 consumers in Odisha have given up their LPG subsidy, he said.
The oil marketing companies, Mr Swaminathan said, have invited application for 400 new LPG distributors in Odisha so that the customers could get their LPG close to their home.bm