M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, April 7: Ujjawala Yojna beneficiaries have stopped buying LPG cylinders. The reason behind this is their high cost. One LPG cylinder for domestic consumers is above Rs.1000. If the gas agency provides doorstep delivery, then the cost reaches around Rs. 1130.
Sources said the gas agency claims free home delivery of LPG cylinders but the delivery boys have their own cut money. Since the Ujjawala Yojna beneficiaries come from the lower economy class, it is getting difficult for them to buy the cylinders at this price.
As per the 2020 data, Palamu has around 2.34 lakh beneficiaries of the Yojna gas cylinders.
Sangeeta Devi is one such Ujjawala Yojna beneficiary. She hails from the village Karar under the Paton police station in Palamu.
She claims she has been unable to purchase a refill for more than two years. Her poverty is a hindrance to her. She stated that she could not afford to pay over Rs. 1000 for the LPG cylinder.
Proprietor of the Swarna Enterprises Alakh Kumar Pandey said more than 98 percent of the Ujjawala Yojna beneficiaries have stopped buying the refill.
Pandey said the rising cost has led to this situation. His agency has around 400 such beneficiaries and except 5 or 6, no one comes to buy a refill.
He said the concerned department should survey if the gas stove, burner and regulator given free to the beneficiaries are still with them or have been sold off.
Daya Shankar Dubey is another gas agency dealer. He has 13,000 beneficiaries of the Yojna. He said almost all have forgotten about the refill. He blamed the unprecedented cost of the LPG cylinders for this slump in the buying of the refill.
