New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS): Ujjwala scheme, one of the flagship schemes of the Modi government has brought a significant turnaround in the lives of rural women across the country.

Thousands of women are benefitting from the smoke-free kitchens as the gas cylinders have enabled not just a convenient method of cooking food but also relieved them of harmful wooden smoke.

Many women beneficiaries of the Ujjawala yojana in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district shared their experience with IANS on how the path-breaking scheme brought a paradigm change in their lives.

Many rural women of Dhanbad said that they have got rid of the smoke, arising from conventional cooking fuels including firewood and coal, because of this scheme and the food cooking process has also become simpler.

Jyotsna Devi, a woman beneficiary, told IANS that earlier there was no cylinder in her house and due to this her food could not be cooked on time, but after she got a gas cylinder under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the whole family is happy.

She is able to cook food in less time while the family has got relief from smoke.

"I express my gratitude to PM Modi for the Ujjwala scheme, due to which gas cylinder has arrived at our house today," she stated further.

Sweety Kumbhkar, another Ujjawala beneficiary, echoed similar views and expressed gratitude to the Modi government for lessening the burden in their lives.

“Due to the gas cylinder, I am able to cook food in less time. This is a good scheme, whose benefits are being given directly to women from poor families. The smoke pollution has also been eliminated,” she said.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched on May 1, 2016, to provide free LPG gas connections to below-the-poverty line (BPL) families.

As per the latest figures, more than ten crore free LPG connections have been issued under the scheme till September 2024.

Under the scheme, the beneficiaries are entitled to get gas cylinders at subsidised rates.