BPL status of many women in tribal villages of Gujarat has reportedly been taken away after they received an LPG connection under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
According to a report in the Indian Express, Ahmedabad-based NGO Disha Foundation has helped to bring the plight of such women to light.
BPL card holder Shardaben Mansinh, a resident of Mekhar Morva village of Panchmahal district, received an LPG connection under the scheme in 2016. However, soon after, the family was denied subsidised ration by the local PDS shop. Mansinh was told that her family was no longer considered BPL as she had availed the gas cylinder and hence, does not qualify to receive subsidised kerosene and benefits under other poverty alleviation scheme, reported IE.
Similarly, Lilaben Konabhai Takarda, a resident of Rampur village of Sabarkantha district, had received an LPG connection with a gas cylinder, stove, regulator and a gas pipe under scheme by paying Rs 600 to the local LPG distributor. “She too has been denied kerosene by her PDS shop owner on the ground that she has already got a LPG connection. She was also denied subsidised ration under Antyodaya, a BPL scheme,” IE report said.
IE reported that the women had offered to return their LPG connections but were told by local authorities that it was not possible. The women claim that their respective PDS shop told them that the state government has directed that beneficiaries under the Ujjwala scheme are not to be considered BPL.
The Ujjwala scheme provides a free LPG connection and gas cylinder. Beneficiaries are required to pay to receive subsequent refills. Since the families cannot afford a refill of the gas cylinder, they have gone back to using firewood or are now having to buy kerosene on the black market, IE reported.
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According to the data compiled by the Petroleum ministry, around 4.70 crore people had opted for LPG connections under the scheme up to July 2018. However, only around 2.70 crore— or about 58 per cent— people refilled their LPG cylinders for the second time. This number fell further, and around 2.07 crore — or about 44 per cent — people refilled their LPG cylinders for the third time, reported New Indian Express.
“The Ujjwala scheme is apparently deceiving the poor tribal women,” said a study conducted by Disha, which found that most of the BPL families that were beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme were automatically converted to APL families.