Free Gas Cylinder on Diwali in Uttar Pradesh: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh has announced that two crore women in the country will receive free gas cylinders ahead of Diwali and Navratri. Beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme will receive their cylinders before the festival. The Chief Minister stated that each beneficiary under the Ujjwala scheme will have a free cooking gas cylinder delivered to their home before Diwali. However, the gas connection under the Ujjwala scheme must be verified with Aadhaar for this to be applicable.
CM Yogi provided these guidelines during a meeting with senior officials regarding the upcoming festivals. He stated that on the occasion of Diwali, all beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana will receive free cooking gas cylinders. It is everyone's responsibility to complete all formalities in a timely manner. Cooking gas cylinders must be made available to all beneficiaries before Diwali, and any technical issues or formalities should be addressed in advance. In Uttar Pradesh, there are approximately two crore beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme, but many face difficulties due to their gas connections not being linked to Aadhaar.
In Uttar Pradesh, the distribution of free gas cylinders to low-income women twice a year was initiated in November 2023. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that nearly 1.75 crore families would receive free cooking gas cylinders under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. Since then, these cylinders have been provided for free during Holi and Diwali. To receive the free cylinder, beneficiaries must book through their gas agency, but they do not need to pay anything for the booking. Currently, the price of a gas cylinder is around 800 rupees, but women who meet the Ujjwala scheme's conditions will receive it for free.
It has been reported that women beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme will receive one free LPG cylinder before Diwali, and another will be provided during Holi.
It is important to note that during the last assembly elections, the BJP announced in its manifesto that women beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme would receive free cooking gas cylinders on Holi and Diwali. To implement this, over 3,300 crore rupees were allocated in the budget last year for providing free gas cylinders to Ujjwala beneficiaries during these festivals.