Central government will launch a country-wide LPG Panchayat as a backup to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to distribute LPG connections among the rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will formally launch the programme at Mota Ishnapur village in Gandhinagar district. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be the Chief Guest at the function.
One lakh LPG Panchayats will be activated across the country under the scheme during the next one and a half years.
The idea of this platform is to trigger a discussion through sharing of personal experiences on the benefits of use of clean fuel compared to traditional fuels like cowdung, charcoal or wood.
Through officials of the oil PSUs, NGOs, Asha workers and social workers, the Panchayat aims to connect with the beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana to resolve issues and wrong beliefs they may have.
India has over 21 crore LPG connections, with 51 per cent reach in the rural areas and nearly 100 per cent penetration across the urban centres.