New LPG connections under PMUY to resume soon

Government-run oil marketing companies temporarily halted further release of new connections after meeting the target of 1.5 crore LPG connections under PMUJ in its first year — but grant of new connections will be resumed soon, a senior official said on Wednesday at Kolkata.
“The target of distributing 1.5 crore connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has been achieved in only eight months across the country,” Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Executive Director (West Bengal State Office), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Marketing Division, said.
“We have put a temporary halt to release of new connections though we are collecting know-your-customer details, verifying documents and continuing other back-end activities necessary for new connections. We will soon start releasing new connections,” he told news agency.
Under the scheme, an adult woman member of a below poverty line family identified through the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) is given a deposit-free cooking gas connection with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre.
The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May last year in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia. The PMUY aims to provide five crore LPG connections to BPL families in three years.According to latest figures, the top five states in terms of PMUY connections are Uttar Pradesh (46 lakh), West Bengal (19.5 lakh), Bihar (19 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (17 lakh) and Rajasthan (14 lakh).