Gehlot launches ‘Labharthi Utsav’ to take on Ujjwala Yojana; 14 lakh families to get ₹650 LPG subsidy

A ‘Labharthi Utsav’ (beneficiary festival) organised by the Congress government here on June 5 for giving the direct benefit of subsidy on the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders

A ‘Labharthi Utsav’ (beneficiary festival) organised by the Congress government here on June 5 for giving the direct benefit of subsidy on the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders to the poor families claimed to have exposed the failure of the Centre’s much-publicised Ujjwala Yojana following a sharp increase in cylinder prices. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot unleashed a scathing attack on the BJP at the event.

Mr. Gehlot turned the ‘Labharthi’ table on the BJP by transferring the subsidies directly to the bank accounts of the families in the State enrolled in Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which were unable to refill their cylinders. The flagship scheme was launched in May 2016 when the cost of a cylinder stood at ₹425.

The prices have since escalated to ₹1,150 each and the beneficiaries are required to pay the full amount for the subsequent cylinders. The subsidy is transferred into the beneficiaries’ accounts by the oil marketing firms, but most of them complain that it does not reach on time. The Rajasthan government has started giving a subsidy of ₹650 to keep the cylinder’s price at ₹500.

The State government has obtained the information of the below poverty line (BPL) families connected with Ujjwala Yojana from the LPG cylinder dealers and shopkeepers following the Centre’s reluctance to share the data. These families have been identified as a separate category, along with other BPL families with gas connections which have registered themselves at the inflation relief camps, for transfer of subsidy on the LPG cylinders.

Mr. Gehlot had announced the subsidy for 12 LPG cylinders in a year for the BPL families at a public meeting organised during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra at Alwar district’s Mala Kheda village on December 19, 2022. The scheme was started for the eligible families from April 1 this year.

The Congress leaders had affirmed during the yatra that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “played a drama” in the name of Ujjwala Yojana for giving LPG connections to the poor, which had turned out to be an utter failure.

Mr. Gehlot, who transferred the subsidy of ₹60 crore to the bank accounts of 14 lakh registered beneficiary families by pressing a button, said the benefit under the Indira Gandhi Gas Cylinder Subsidy Yojana would be available to 76 lakh families in near future. The Chief Minister asserted that this was not an election-oriented announcement but would continue as a permanent scheme.