Rajasthan keeps its promise of subsidised LPG, to begin from New Year

Jaipur: Setting rest to the rumours floating around the promise of providing subsidised gas cylinders, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma today announced that the scheme of providing cylinders at Rs 450 would begin from Jan 1 in the New Year.

He made this announcement in Malpura, Tonk, where he was overseeing the work in one of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp camps. He said the subsidy would be transferred into the account of the beneficiary women, who come under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and those who hold the BPL card. He said it is the fulfillment of the promise made in the BJP manifesto and also a proof of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee. The amount spent on providing subsidy would be borne by the state government.

The name of the scheme has been changed from Indira Gandhi Cylinder Subsidy Scheme to Cooking Gas Cylinder Subsidy Yojana and the beneficiaries can avail the cheap cylinder by getting themselves registered at the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yojana.

Earlier a controversy had cropped up over the subsidised cylinders' promise made by BJP in its manifesto. The controversy had erupted after minister of state for petroleum and gas, Rameshwar Teli denied any such commitment when MP Javed Ali Khan questioned him about BJP’s manifesto promise of providing cylinders at Rs 450, in the Rajya Sabha.

In a bid to avoid embarrassment and before the Opposition could turn it into a rallying point, the state government reaffirmed its commitment to provide cheap cylinders to women from poor families soon.

Although the CM reiterated Prime Minister Modi’s promise to youths, farmers and the poor, thousands of youth today protested in Jaipur after the BJP government scrapped the Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Mitra Internship Programme from Dec 31, 2023 which employed 5000 youths, who propagated the programmes and schemes of the government. They were paid a stipend of RS 17500 monthly.

The youths who gathered in the protest at Shakti Sthal, a memorial to brave soldiers, said they wanted the government to retain them as they were not affiliated to any particular party or its ideology and they would eagerly propagate the programmes of the present government. They said they have been working hard and would work in the same way ahead. Suddenly becoming unemployed with no salary would hit them hard in these times of inflation.