On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media platform ‘X’ to announce a significant discount of Rs 100 on Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, aimed at alleviating the financial burden on households, particularly benefiting women. This reduction, the PM emphasized, is in line with the government’s commitment to empowering women and ensuring their ‘Ease of Living’. Moreover, by making cooking gas more affordable, the initiative also aims to support the well-being of families and promote a healthier environment.
PM Modi extended his greetings to women, acknowledging their strength, courage, and resilience across various domains. He lauded their accomplishments and reiterated the government’s commitment to empowering women through various initiatives, including those in education, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and technology. This commitment, he highlighted, has been reflected in the achievements of the past decade.
The announcement of the LPG cylinder discount was followed by another significant development – the extension of Rs 300 per LPG cylinder subsidy to poor women under the Ujjwala scheme, starting April 1. This extension comes after the Modi government’s earlier increase in the subsidy from Rs 200 to Rs 300 in October of the previous year. The Ujjwala Yojana, launched in 2016, aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women from economically disadvantaged households.
In a press conference, Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the extension of the Ujjwala subsidy for the upcoming financial year 2024-2025. This move is expected to benefit approximately 100 million families, with the government estimating a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.
