Mumbai, Jul 30 (IANS): With an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections, the MahaYuti government in Maharashtra has decided to expand the scope of the Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana by including the eligible beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana who can now refill three gas cylinders free of cost annually in addition to receiving a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500.

The Food and Civil Supply Department headed by NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday released the government resolution in this regard, saying the poor families will benefit greatly from this scheme.

As per the resolution, the government will provide free refill of three gas cylinders per year to about 52.16 lakh beneficiaries of the Central government's Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and also to the families of the eligible beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.

The government expects to cross 2.5 crore registrations by women in the age group of 21 to 60 years by the end of August under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. So far, more than 1.25 crore have been enrolled and the number is increasing by the day.

The Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana is targeted at the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Maitri Ujjwala Yojana which provides a subsidy of Rs 300 per cylinder. The state government proposes to provide a subsidy of Rs 530 per cylinder to cover its entire cost.

For the beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, the state will have to pay the entire sum of Rs 830 to cover the cost of the cylinder since they are not entitled to get a subsidy under the Pradhan Maitri Ujjwala Yojana.

‘’To avail the benefits of the scheme, the gas connection must be in the name of the woman. At present, around 52.16 lakh beneficiaries who are eligible under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the state are going to be eligible for the said scheme.

Also, the families of the beneficiaries who are eligible for the Ladki Bahin Yojana will be eligible to refill three gas cylinders annually for free. Only one beneficiary in a family (as per ration card) will be eligible to get the benefit and it will be permissible only to those having a gas connection,’’ read the government resolution.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched in 2016 by the Central government to enable the women of the country to live in a smoke-free environment, providing clean fuel for cooking to poor families and improving the health of women.

A Food and Civil Supply Department official said under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the work for providing gas connection to eligible families in Maharashtra is going on with the cooperation of the oil companies.

"At present, some beneficiaries who have gas connections other than under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana are not able to recharge the connections at the market rate. Also, it was brought to the notice of the government that after one cylinder is exhausted, many households use wood for cooking which harms the environment,’’ the official said.