Bhubaneswar: Rulling BJD on Saturday alleged that the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has failed in its objective and is a total failure in Odisha as people who were given connections are not refilling their LPG cylinders.
In a Press conference here, BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said in a written reply to an unstarred question asked by BJD MP Prashanta Nanda in the Parliament, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan had informed that 30,48,000 households in Odisha have been provided LPG cylinder under the Ujjwala Yojana in the last two years.
However, only 8,18,000 refilled their cylinders in the financial year 2016-17 which dropped down to 6,45,000 in the financial year 2017-18.
“In the home district of Pradhan, Angul, 1, 05,508 gas connections have been provided in the last two years. In the financial year 2016-17 only 35,406 have refilled the cylinders and it has dropped down to 16,950 in the financial year 2017-18. A person provided with LPG cylinder by the BJP is not going to refill the cylinder for the second time, which proves the scheme is a failure,” added Deb.
It is not the State Government or the district administration which is given the charge of choosing the beneficiaries of the scheme. The list is being prepared by the BJP leaders and also distributed by them in events organised by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). The Centre cannot accuse that the State Government is responsible for the decrease in number of people going for LPG refilling, he added.
Deb further alleged that the BJP is first distributing gas connections free to attract people and later asking them to refill it at market rates and the subsidy amount is also not credited to their bank accounts on time. LPG cyclinder price hike, lack of banking facilities and internet connectivity is some areas are some major reasons that have led to the failure of the scheme. Among others, BJD secretary Bijay Nayak and spokesperson Sasmit Patra were present.
In reaction, Minister Pradhan said, “Those who are displaying their intolerance by presenting selective facts are displaying their opposition towards the poor, tribal, women and people of Odisha. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has proved as a model for developing countries across the world,” he said.
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