Himachal Pradesh is the first ‘smoke-free state’ in India.
How?
This milestone has been achieved due to the effective implementation of Central Governments’ Pradhan Mantri ‘Ujjwala Yojana’(PMUY) and ‘Himachal Grihini Suvidha Scheme’ of the Himachal Pradesh government.
Now, 100% of households in Himachal Pradesh have LPG connections in their houses.
About ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ –
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016 from Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh to provide clean cooking fuel to poor households and the target to provide Eight crore deposit free LPG connections was achieved in September, 2019.
With the implementation of PMUY, approx. 1 lakh people have got employment through the LPG distribution system all over India as of February 23, 2022.
This Scheme aims to provide free LPG connections to Women from BPL Households by providing financial support of Rs 1600 for each new LPG connection.
The identification of eligible BPL families is made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Territories based on the socio-economic and caste census data.
It aims to address serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuels. Non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer and Indoor air pollution causing acute respiratory illnesses in young children is addressed through this scheme.
In the Union budget for FY 21-22, provision for an additional one crore LPG connection under the PMUY scheme was announced. Along with a deposit free LPG connection, Ujjwala 2.0 will provide first refill and hotplate (stove) free of cost to the beneficiaries.
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