Question

Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme launched by the Government of India in 2016 to provide subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households in India.

In this context, answer the following questions:

1. What is the primary objective of Ujwala Yojana?
2. Who is the target audience of Ujwala Yojana?
3. What role does Ujwala Yojana play in women’s empowerment?

Answer 1

1. The primary objective of the Ujjwala Yojana is to provide clean cooking fuel (LPG connections) to poor households, replacing traditional, hazardous cooking fuels like firewood, coal, and dried cow dung to drastically reduce indoor air pollution and protect health.
2. The target audience of the scheme is women belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households across rural and underprivileged parts of India.
3. Ujwala Yojana empowers women by safeguarding their health from dangerous respiratory diseases caused by kitchen smoke. Additionally, it saves them valuable time and effort previously spent on collecting firewood, allowing them to pursue education, economic activities, or rest, while the LPG connections are officially issued in the name of the female head of the household to promote financial inclusion.