Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai (SR)

Mumbai, Jul 25: In line with the central government's Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday, cleared setting up of a scheme to provide subsidy on LPG connections.

Maharashtra government as per the scheme, aims to create a 'smoke-free' state by replacing wood fired stoves with LPG connections. Families who do not get benefits of the Ujjwala scheme will receive Rs 3,846 for every new gas connection, the government has announced.

As of now, there are 41 lac households in the state which do not have a gas connection and most of these families will be covered under the PMUY scheme this year while the remaining will be covered under the state's scheme. "Many of the households were not covered in the central scheme because of ineligibility. BPL households having a ration card will be eligible to get gas connection," said an official from the Food and Civil Supplies department.

As per officials, the scheme will be first implemented among the below poverty line (BPL) ration card holders from the 14 districts of Maharashtra where farmer suicides have been the highest and LPG connection will be provided in the name of the female member of these households as they are the most affected by the open-fire cooking.

An allocation of Rs 100 crore has been made to implement the scheme. "The aim is to make the state smoke-free in terms of using wood for cooking by the end of March 2021," said an official.