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.
While the BJP has been harping on its ‘Labharthi’ constituency, having created a loyal vote base nationally, Mr. Gehlot seems to have gone a step ahead and pushed the party back by adopting its concept for the benefit of Congress. The ruling Congress has undertaken a massive registration programme for as many as 10 public welfare schemes at the inflation relief camps launched on April 24.
Mr. Gehlot said 6.25 crore guarantee cards had been distributed to 1.43 crore beneficiary families at these camps. The schemes include Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme with a cover of ₹25 lakh per annum, free agricultural power scheme, Annapurna food packets scheme, additional days in MGNREGA, Indira Gandhi urban employment guarantee scheme, social security pensions and the Kamdhenu livestock insurance scheme.
Mr. Gehlot targeted the Opposition BJP, saying it had nothing to say against the Congress government because of the “unprecedented development works” done under his dispensation. He said while Mr. Modi’s “adamant attitude” had led to the BJP’s defeat in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka recently, the Congress was emerging victorious because of people’s faith in its policies.
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