The number of beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Tamil Nadu will be raised from the current 3.12 lakh to 10 lakh by 2018, according to Pon Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.
The Minister handed over subscription vouchers for security-free LPG connections to a representative number of 30 women beneficiaries at a function held in Nagercoil on Tuesday.
Radhakrishnan formally launched the PMUY in Nagercoil, under which oil refining and marketing majors IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum sanction free LPG connections to poor households.
The Union Minister said that the PMUY will help women in backward rural areas to lead a healthier life. The smoke and soot from firewood used for cooking in villages has been proved to be equivalent to the smoke from 400 cigarettes.
R Sitharthan, Executive Director (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), IndianOil, and State-Level Coordinator, Oil Industry, Tamil Nadu, observed that the day was very significant for the oil industry in Tamil Nadu.