Launched in 2016 to boost the usage of clean cooking fuels and control the related disease burden, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has claimed success with almost 98% coverage of liquefied petroleum gas in India. However, in the past five years, there has been only a 20% increase in the overall usage of clean cooking fuel, reveals a latest government survey of 22 states. Additionally, it indicates, houses that have LPG cylinders, may not necessarily be using them.
The scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, became a flagship programme of the National Democratic Alliance government and is credited to help the party in several key elections. The government claims that LPG coverage (estimated on the basis of active domestic connections and estimated households) in the country is almost 98% – an increase from 56% in 2014-’15.
It also claims the programme as a social movement that has brought a sea change in women’s life by offering them a smokeless and…