President hosts LPG Panchayat at Rashtrapati Bhawan

Monday February 19, 2018 , 2 min Read

President Ram Nath Kovind hosted an LPG Panchayat at the in Rashtrapati Bhawan a few days ago. LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) consumers and beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme from more than 20 states attended the Panchayat, and discussed the benefits of using LPG and the shared their experiences in making sustainable use of it.

The LPG Panchayats are an initiative of The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the ministry plans to conduct one lakh LPG Panchayats before 2019. The Panchayats are an attempt to create awareness about the importance of using LPG, and the ways in which it is beneficial to health and the environment. According to Business Standard, one of the officials from an oil-marketing company said,

We are looking to spread awareness among LPG users on using the clean fuel. The plan is to conduct 100,000 LPG panchayats across the country, dealing with the issue of safe use of LPG as well as its various benefits, such as environment, health, and how it empowers women.

Before the LPG Panchayat hosted by the President, more than 300 such sessions have been held in rural areas. In the one that took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan, more than 100 LPG users from across 20 states participated.

The panchayat was also attended by women representatives of Parliament, health experts, and oil-marketing firms. According to Livemint, talking about the LPG panchayats, an official said,

When users share with others how much time has been saved by using LPG and how it has helped them to do productive and income-earning activities, it will encourage others to use LPG.

Until now, more than 33 million women have benefited from the BJP lead government's flagship scheme - PMUY. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his 2018-19 Union Budget, said the government plans on ensuring it benefits 80 million people. He also stated that Rs 48 million have been allotted to achieve this mission.