Several schemes of the Government of India are running to provide economic assistance and social security to different sections of society. One of these schemes is the Free Kitchen Gas Cylinder Scheme. This scheme has been launched especially for women who do not have the financial capacity to purchase gas cylinders for their kitchen. This scheme is not just a facility, but a major effort by the government towards solving a big social and health-related problem. The objective of this scheme is to provide safe and clean cooking gas to women of poor and underprivileged sections of the country so that they can be freed from the use of traditional fuels like wood, coal, and cow dung cakes.
This article focuses on various aspects of the Free Kitchen Gas Cylinder Scheme, which includes detailed discussion on the scheme’s objectives, benefits, eligibility, application process, and other important issues related to this government initiative. It is very expensive, so not everyone can afford it. Keeping this in mind, a scheme has been launched by the government for women from poor sections. Under this scheme, women are provided gas cylinders for free. This scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on May 1, 2016. This scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Objective of Yojana
Under the Free LPG Cylinder Scheme, the government has aimed to fulfill many important objectives. It is important to know these objectives, as the scheme is not just a financial aid scheme, but also has wider social and environmental impacts. Its major objectives include :
1. Promotion of Clean and Safe Fuel : Using traditional fuels like wood and coal is not only difficult but also extremely harmful to women’s health. The smoke produced from burning wood and coal affects the respiratory system and causes asthma, coughing, lung diseases, and eye-related problems. Additionally, the use of these fuels creates indoor air pollution, which affects all family members. The use of LPG largely eliminates this problem.
2. Women’s Empowerment : Women not only face difficulties while cooking on traditional stoves, but also spend most of their time doing so. The Free Kitchen Gas Cylinder Scheme aims to save women’s time and energy. Through this, they get opportunities to participate in many other activities and play an active role in other economic and social activities of the family. This increases women’s self-confidence and enables them to manage their lives better.
3. Environmental Protection : The use of traditional fuels like wood and coal leads to serious problems like deforestation and air pollution. Kitchen gas is a clean fuel, whose use can reduce deforestation and negative impacts on the environment. Under the Free Kitchen Gas Cylinder Scheme, more and more families are being encouraged to use LPG cylinders to address the problem of deforestation and air pollution.
4. Financial Assistance : A major objective of the Free Kitchen Gas Cylinder Scheme is to provide financial assistance to economically weak families. The regular cost of LPG cylinders is a major expense for poor families, and the free cylinder scheme reduces their financial burden. This allows them to use their income for other necessities and improve their standard of living.
Benefits of the Yojana
The Free LPG Cylinder Scheme has many benefits, which not only improve the health and lifestyle of women, but also bring many positive results for their families. Let us discuss some of the key benefits of this scheme :
1. Free LPG Cylinder : Under this scheme, beneficiary women are given the facility to get their LPG cylinders refilled for free. This is particularly important relief for poor families who faced financial difficulties in getting cylinders refilled. With free cylinders, they can use clean and safe fuel without any worry.
2. Health Improvement : Women and children face serious health problems from the smoke produced by cooking on traditional stoves. The use of LPG eliminates smoke, which significantly reduces the risk of respiratory diseases. Additionally, using LPG also improves indoor air quality.
3. Time Saving : Using traditional fuels takes much more time for cooking. Using wood and coal requires more time and effort to prepare food. Whereas using kitchen gas helps cook food faster, saving women’s time which they can use for other important activities.
4. Safe for Environment : The use of wood and coal produces emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases, which are harmful to the environment. Using LPG reduces air pollution, which also reduces the negative impact on the environment. Additionally, the use of wood leads to deforestation, which can be prevented through this scheme.
Eligibility Criteria
1. Women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) Families : The main objective of this scheme is to provide assistance to families falling under the BPL category. Women from families living below the poverty line can receive free gas cylinders under this scheme. For this, they will need to submit BPL certificates or other documents that prove they fall under this category.
2. Women from Rural and Backward Areas : The free cooking gas cylinder scheme specifically aims to benefit women from rural and backward areas. The use of wood and coal is still prevalent in these areas, and this scheme aims to provide them with clean fuel.
3. Women from Scheduled Castes and Tribes : Under this scheme, special priority has been given to women from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories. The government wants these women to also use clean and safe fuel and be able to improve their standard of living.
How to Apply Online
- To apply for the Free Cooking Gas Cylinder Scheme, you first need to visit its official website.
- On the homepage, you need to click on Apply for New Ujjwala 2.0 Connection.
- Once you click on this, you will see three agencies: Indane, Bharatgas, and HP Gas.
- You need to select the company from which you want to take your gas connection.
- After this, you will be redirected to the official website of whichever company you selected.
- Here, you need to select Ujjwala 2.0 New Connection in the type of connection.
- Then you need to click on I Hereby Declare.
- Now you need to select your state and district and click on Show List.
- Upon clicking this, you will see a list of all distributors in your district.
- You need to select your nearest distributor.
- A new page will open where you need to enter your mobile number and captcha code and submit.
- After this, an application form will open for applying for the new gas connection.
- You need to fill in all the information in this application form and upload all the required documents.
- Then you need to submit your form.
- You will now see an option to print the FORM.
- You need to take a print of this form, attach all the uploaded documents with it, and submit it to the agency.
- After this, the gas agency will provide you with the gas connection.