The Cabinet on Wednesday has approved a number of measures considering the ongoing Covid-19, said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.
And one big decision by the Cabinet was extension of the time limit for taking the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana or PMGKY for Ujjwala beneficiaries by 3 months.
Under the PMGKY-Ujjwala, the Centre has decided to give free of cost refills for PMUY beneficiaries for a period of three months from 1 April. The extension will come into effect from 1st July.
Currently, there are as many as 7.40 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries and the Centre had promised to give them 3 cylinders under the PMGKY-Ujjwala yojana who will benefit further from the extended scheme.
The Modi government had announced Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana relief package earlier to provide a safety net for the poor as well as needy who had been hit the hardest by Covid-19. It also included relief for poor families who had availed LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana.
While reviewing the scheme, it has been noticed that a section of PMUY beneficiaries are yet to use the advance credited into their account to buy the cylinder refill within the scheme period. Therefore, the Cabinet has approved the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas’ proposal to extend the deadline for availing the advance by 3 months.
The decision will benefit those Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana beneficiaries who have been credited with the advance for purchasing the cylinder, but have not been able to get the refill. Hence, the beneficiaries who already have the advance transferred to their account can now take the free refill delivery till September 30.
It is important to mention that under this scheme, Rs. 97,09.86 crore has been transferred directly into the bank accounts of Ujjwala beneficiaries during April to June 2020. In addition, 11.97 crore cylinders were delivered to the PMUY beneficiaries, according to government statement.
