Aid for urban poor to procure LPG connections

BANGALORE:  Even as the Union Government is struggling to devise various means to minimise subsidies on LPG cylinders and regulate the network which distributes cylinders for domestic consumption, the State Government is planning to provide subsidies and aid urban poor to procure LPG connections and stoves. Principal Secretary of Social Welfare Department E Venkataiah said, “The poor are finding it difficult to afford fuel to cook as it is becoming more difficult to get fire wood and kerosene in the urban areas. At times,  they cook with unsafe fuel like the waste oil that emit harmful fumes. Therefore, the department is in the process of providing aid to such people to buy gas stoves  and help them to get LPG connections by providing them the deposit money.”According to Venkataiah, the department had written to the DCs of all districts to identify the beneficiaries and to send a list at the earliest. Some DCs have already sent the list. Due to financial constraints, the department is planning to extend the benefits to around 25,000 beneficiaries from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The aid would be extended to the other communities in the next phase, he said. “As soon as we get the lists from all districts, we will identify the areas to which the aid has to be extended on priority basis and the benefits would be extended only to the BPL card holders who approach the department through local officers,” Venkataiah added.