Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the government has distributed around 6.8 crore free LPG cylinders to the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) so far, said an official release on Thursday (21 May).
“As part of the economic response to COVID-19, the Government of India has launched a pro-poor scheme “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package” (PMGKP),” the Ministry of Petroleum And Natural Gas said in the release.
“Under this scheme, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is providing free of cost LPG cylinders to over 8 crore PMUY beneficiaries for 3 months w.e.f 1.4.20,” it added.
The ministry further said that in April, the oil marketing companies (OMCs) delivered 4.53 crore cylinders to PMUY beneficiaries under the PMGKP.
It added that as on 20 May, OMCs have delivered total 6.79 crore cylinders to the UJJwala beneficiaries under the package.
“The beneficiaries were given funds in advance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in their accounts, so that there was no difficulty in availing this facility,” the ministry said.
The ministry further said that the Corona Warriors - personnel working in the supply chain of LPG cylinder delivery - have not only been ensuring timely supply of cylinders, but also creating awareness amongst the beneficiaries about the hygiene and various health guidelines.