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Himachal becomes country’s first LPG-enabled and smoke-free state

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Environment
  • Published
    6th Jan, 2022

Context

Himachal Pradesh has become the first LPG enabled and smoke free-state in the country due to Ujjwala scheme of the Central Government and housewives welfare scheme of the State Government.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

  • PMUY is a programme launched by the government on May 1, 2016.
  • The implementation of the scheme is under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas through its Oil Marketing Companies.
  • The primary purpose of the scheme is to distribute LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) connections to the women of low households in India.
  • The programme was initially launched with a budget of Rs. 80 billion.
  • Initially, five crores BPL (below poverty line) households were targeted through PMUY; the target was achieved by March 31, 2019.
  • An additional allocation of Rs 4,800 crore was done, and the target was expanded to benefit 80 million low-income families through the scheme.
  • Under this scheme, towards an initiative for the loss by Covid-19 outbreak, the Finance Minister of India, announced to provide cylinders free of cost to the BPL families from March 26, 2020, for three months.

Liquified petroleum gas (LPG)

  • Liquified petroleum gas (LPG) is a fuel used in many household appliances for cooking, heating, and hot water.
  • It is called liquefied gas because it is easily transformed into a liquid.
  • LPG composition is primarily propane, butane, isobutane, butylenes, propylene and mixtures of these gases.
  • LPG is composed of liquid or gas (vapor), depending on pressure and LPG gas temperature.
  • LPG needs only low pressure or refrigeration to change it into liquid from its gaseous state.

About Mukhyamantri Grihini Suvidha Yojana

  • The Mukhya Mantri Grihini Suvidha Yojana was launched on May 26, 2018. 
  • With the concerted efforts of the Central and state governments, the women of the state had become free from indoor pollution. 
  • Besides, to conserve the environment, a free LPG connection was given to families with no gas connection.

The progress

  • Under the Ujjwala scheme, 1.36 lakh free domestic kitchen connections were given by the central government at a cost of Rs 21.81 crore while 3.23 lakh housewives were given Rs 120 crore under the Mukhyamantri Grihini Suvidha Yojana. 

Need of the Scheme

  • The objective of launching the scheme was to provide free gas connections to those families which were not covered under the Centre’s Ujjwala scheme.
  • These schemes have reduced the dependence on wood for fuel. 
  • The adverse effect of smoke on women’s health has also been relieved. Due to these schemes, the standard of living of women has also improved.

Indoor air pollution:

  • It refers to the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of air in the indoor environment within a home, building, or an institution or commercial facility. 
  • A number of air pollutants have been recognised to exist indoors, including NOx, SO2, ozone (O3), CO, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PM, radon and microorganisms.

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