What is in news : Prime Minister is set to launch the second edition of the government’s free LPG connection scheme called Ujjwala.

What is new :

• First refill and a hotplate free of cost to beneficiaries
• Eased enrollment

About UJJWALA :

• Launched in May 2016.
• Aim: To provide LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) connections to poor households.
• Key features: A deposit-free LPG connection is given to eligible with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre.
• Target: The scheme gained traction with its ambit being expanded to include 80 million poor families from the earlier target of 50 million families with an additional allocation of Rs4,800 crore.
• Eligibility criteria:
  • Applicant must a woman above the age of 18 and a citizen of India.
  • Applicant should belong to a BPL (Below Poverty Line) household.
  • No one in the applicant’s household should own an LPG connection.
  • The household income of the family, per month, must not exceed a certain limit as defined by the government of the Union Territories and State Government.
  • Applicant must not be a recipient of other similar schemes provided by the government.
• Objectives of the scheme are:
  • Empowering women and protecting their health.
  • Reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuel.
  • Reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel.
  • Preventing young children from significant number of acute respiratory illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the fossil fuel.