One lakh 'LPG panchayats' to be held across the country

To popularise use of clean fuel for cooking among the rural population of the country, the Central government would organise 1 lakh 'LPG Panchayat' across the nation during the next one-and-half years, said officials.

The nation-wide launch of the 'LPG Panchayat' initiative will be done by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at Isanpur-Mota village of Gandhinagar tomorrow, said State Level Coordinator for the oil industry, Sanjeev Jain.

"LPG Panchayat will serve as an interactive platform between those who received LPG cylinders under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY), officials, LPG distributors and NGOs.
 

"In one Panchayat, around 100 LPG customers of nearby areas will share their experiences with others. They can also share their problems and suggestions," said Jain at a press conference here today.

Other issues to be discussed during these Panchayats include safe practices, quality of service provided by distributors and availability of refill cylinders.

"The idea is to trigger a discussion on the benefits of clean fuel in the Panchayat through personal stories. The government has planned to organise one lakh such Panchayats across the country during the next one-and-half years," he added.

PMUY was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016 with an aim to provide LPG connections to those who are still dependent on wood or coal for cooking their food.

Till date, the oil industry has released LPG connections to 3 crore beneficiaries across the country, including 11.39 lakh in Gujarat, said Western Region LPG Head of Bharat Petroleum, Vijay Tilak.

According to Hindustan Petroleum's General Manager for LPG operations, Sanjay Malhotra, people living in rural areas are still reluctant to adopt LPG, as they are having various misconceptions.

"Some still fear that food will become tasteless if it will be cooked using LPG. Some feel wood is more cheaper than LPG, which is not true. We want to take up these issues and spread awareness among the rural masses through this initiative," said Malhotra.