STATE TIMES NEWS
RAJOURI: Underlining the need of ensuring hassle-free availability of cooking gas for every household, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said the Coalition Government will open new LPG outlets every 15-20 km across the State. The minister said the government will also provide eight lakh free LPG connections to Below Poverty Line women till the end of 2018, with one lakh connections to be given out within this month.
The minister was addressing a gathering during the launch of Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) in presence of Minister for Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Abdul Ghani Kohli, Deputy Chairman Legislative Council, Jahangir Mir, Member of Parliament, Jugal Kishore Sharma, MLA Rajouri Qammer Choudhary, MLA Nowshera Ravinder Raina and MLC Vibodh Gupta.
Highlighting the importance of the scheme, Zulfkar said it has been designed for the welfare of poor people across the country for whom having an LPG connection at their homes remains a dream.
Announcing the opening of new LPG outlets after every 15-20 kilometers in the state, Zulfkar said the government wants to provide clean fuel for cooking at the door steps. He said the target has been fixed to provide 100 percent population with LPG connections. “We are working to open new outlets and soon these will start operating,” the minister said.
The Minister said District Ramban has 17 per cent coverage of LPG, one of the lowest LPG connectivity in the country which was followed by Rajouri and Poonch areas.
“But our government is working to provide 100 per cent connectivity. There has been six percent growth in the LPG connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir which is testimony of the Government’s vision towards providing clean fuel to public for avoiding health hazards,” he said.
The administration has identified 7,923 and 7,945 cases who will get free LPG connections in Poonch and Rajouri Districts respectively.
On the occasion, at least 2,200 impoverished women beneficiaries were provided free LPG connections. The Minister also handed over cheque of Rs 16 lakh provided by the concerned oil company to the victim of LPG cylinder blast in Surankote last year.
