Free gas connections for BPL households

Consumers will have to pay Rs. 950 for refill, regulator and stove

Even as the Centre has intensified campaign on ‘Give it up LPG subsidy,’ officials of the East Godavari district are on the job of ensuring complete coverage of cooking gas connections to all the households.

With the district being chosen for implementation of the pilot project of the Union Petroleum Ministry’s ‘Corporate Social Responsibility scheme for the Below Poverty Line families’, all the white ration card holders will get LPG connections free of cost.

The deposit amount of Rs.1,600 for a connection will be borne by the oil companies under the CSR initiative, while the consumers will have to pay Rs. 950 only for refill cylinder, gas regulator and stove.

All the 45 cooking gas agencies in the district are on the job of collecting the copies of white ration card and Aadhaar details from households that do not have LPG connections. According to the official statistics, of the 15 lakh white ration card holders in the district, 8.65 lakh already have LPG connections.

Deepam scheme

Of the remaining 6.35 lakh card holders, 29,000 families have been selected under the State government’s ‘Deepam’ scheme, under which free LPG connection will be issued in the name of the woman member of the family. The other eligible beneficiaries can now apply for the free scheme.

“We are planning to complete the process in a month and send the list to the Ministry. The entire process will be completed within two to three months from now,” says S. Satyanarayana, Joint Collector.

To promote the scheme, instructions have already been issued to Tehasildars to launch village-level campaigns to educate the beneficiaries on the benefits of the scheme. “Once the project is completed, the district will become kerosene-free. At present, we are distributing 2,156 kilo letters of kerosene per month to 6.35 white ration cards,” says G. Uma Maheswara Rao, District Supplies Officer.

“The others can also apply for cooking gas connections now which are being issued at counters. Same is the case for the second cylinder, which is being given instantly As of now, there is no delay in the supply of the LPG refills too, as the consumers are getting them within 24 hours of booking,” says Mr. Rao.

Oil cos to bear deposit fee of Rs.1,600, while consumers will have to pay Rs. 950 for refill cylinder, regulator and stove