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Ujjwala Yojana
Why is it in the news?
- A new study is conducted from the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics (r.i.c.e) on Ujjwala Yojana.
- As per the new study, 85% of Ujjwala beneficiaries in rural Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan still use solid fuels for cooking, due to financial reasons as well as gender inequalities.
More in the news
- The Ujjwala Yojna, launched in 2016, subsidises LPG connections for rural households by providing a free gas cylinder, regulator and pipe.
- The survey, conducted in late 2018, covered a random sample of 1,550 households in 11 districts of the four States.
- Central government data shows that more than six crore households have received a connection through the scheme.
- The r.i.c.e study shows that in the four States surveyed, there has indeed been a substantial increase in LPG ownership due to the scheme, with 76% of households now owning an LPG connection.
- However, more than 98% of these households also own a chulha.
- About 27% of households exclusively used the gas stove.
- Another 37% reported using both the chulha and the gas stove, while 36% made everything on the chulha.
- Ujjwala beneficiaries are poorer, on average, than households who got LPG on their own.
- Refilling the cylinder is a greater fraction of their monthly consumption, and they may be less likely to get a refill immediately after a cylinder becomes empty.
Gender Inequality:
- Surveyors found that almost 70% of households do not spend anything on solid fuel.
- Women are more likely to make dung cakes, and while men are more likely to cut wood, women are often the ones collecting and carrying it.
- The study argues that these women, who do the unpaid labour needed for “free” solid fuels, are not typically economic decision-makers in the household, hindering a shift to LPG usage.
Source
The Hindu.