Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana free gas cylinder is a scheme of the Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas to provide liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connection to every woman living below the poverty line (BPL).

Ujjwaa Yojana was started on May 1, 2016, in Bali, Uttar Pradesh state. The aim of this scheme was to provide 8 crore LPG connections for low-income households by March 2020.

Provision has been made in the Union budget under this scheme for the release of 1 crore additional LPG connections for the financial year (FY) 21-22. Under this phase of the scheme, migrant families were offered special facilities.

According to the system, you were entitled to Rs. 1600 for each connection, an interest-free loan for a gas stove purchase and refill. The administrative cost of the LPG connection is borne by the government.

Beneficiaries of Ujjwala Yojana Free Gas Cylinder

Under the ujjwala yojana, free gas cylinder scheme women who are members of the BPL family and do not have an LPG connection at home can take advantage of the PMUY scheme. 

However, the women must be on the 2011 Socio-Economic Cast Census (SECC) list or in the seven categories identified, i.e. river islanders, SC/ST families, tea tribes and former tea tribes, PMAY (Gramin), forest dwellers, AAY, and most backward classes (MBC).

As per the finance minister, coverage under the UjjwalaYojana will be provided for about 1 crore of new beneficiaries. Under the Ujjwala scheme, 100 districts will be added for city gas distribution over the next three years. So far approximately 8 billion households benefit from this scheme. 

Eligibility Criterion for PM Ujjwala Yojana 

To take benefits under PM ujjwala yojana you must fulfill the following eligibility criteria:

• The beneficiary must be an Indian citizen
• The beneficiary’s age must be over 18 years
• She must be a woman from a BPL family and does not have a BPL connection. 
• She must not enjoy any benefits under other similar schemes.
• Beneficiaries must be on the SECC 2011 list or BPL houses according to SC/ST, PMAY (Gramin), AAY, houses with the least developed class (MBC), forest dwellers, and people living on river islands or tea gardens and Ex-tea Garden Tribes. 

Documents Needed for Ujjwala Yojana

The documents which are required for the scheme are as under: 

• BPL certificate issued by the mayor of the city or panchayat Pradhan
• Caste certificate
• One photograph of passport size 
• Photo identity proof
• Proof of address
• BPL ration card
• Aadhaar numbers of all the family members
• Jan Dhan bank account or bank passbook details
• 14-point statement duly signed in the prescribed format

Also Read: Govt Schemes for Agriculture

How to Apply and Register in PM UjjwalaGas Scheme 

Below is the registration procedure to register under ujjwala yojana and take advantage of the scheme. Read on about the step-by-step procedure:

• Download the application form from pmuy.gov.in or you can also collect the form from your nearest LPG distributor. 
• Duly fill out the form
• Submit the form to the LPG distributor’s office
• Once you submit the application, it will be processed. And after the verification of your application and if you fulfill the criteria, an LPG connection will be issued on your name by an oil company.

How to Check PM Ujjwala Yojana Connections Online?

You can check state-wise/district-wise/block-wise/panchayat-wise list of PM Ujjwala Yojana connections by clicking mnregaweb2.nic.in/netnrega/dynamic_account_details_ippe.aspx, enter the location details and you will get the number of connections of that particular area. 

Need of Ujjwala Scheme 

Poor people in India cook on fossil fuels because of no or limited access to cooking gas (LPG). The distribution of LPG cylinders was mainly in urban and semi-urban areas, and the coverage mainly included the wealthy and middle-class families. But cooking with fossil fuels poses a serious health risk.

As per the estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), in India alone about a half million deaths are caused due to unclean cooking fuels. Most of these early deaths were due to non-communicable diseases such as strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, and lung cancer.

Also, indoor air pollution is responsible for several acute respiratory diseases in young children. Experts say that open fire in the kitchen is like burning four hundred cigarettes per hour.

Giving LPG connections to BPL houses will provide universal coverage with cooking gas in the country. This step will strengthen the position of women and protect their health. This will reduce hard work and cooking time. It will also employ rural youth in the cooking gas supply chain.

Conclusion

Ujjwala Yojana free gas cylinder scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016, in Bali, Uttar Pradesh. The scheme aims to provide free LPG connections to a woman belonging to a below poverty line (BPL) family.  

If you want to benefit from this program which is aimed to provide pollution-free cooking fuel to the BPL families then you can apply for Ujjwala Yojana. Women falling under the BPL category can apply for the Ujwala Yojana by downloading the form from www.pmuy.gov.in or can achieve the form from the near LPG distributor.