Why in News?
• Union Cabinet has increased the target and budgetary allocation for the Ujjwala Yojana.
Other cabinet decisions:
• The Union cabinet also took few other decisions like:
1. Increasing the minimum support price for copra
2. Extending the Discovered Small Fields Policy to include more oil and gas fields
3. Giving ex post facto approval to the changes made in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill
4. Approving of the incorporation of the official amendments to the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2016
About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
• It was launched by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in May, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.
• Under the scheme, an adult woman member of a below poverty line family identified through the Socio-Economic Caste Census is given a deposit-free LPG connection with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre for the next three years.
• The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Aim
• It aims to safeguard the health of women and children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel LPG so that they don’t have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood.
Objectives
• Empowering women and protecting their health.
• Reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuel.
• Reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel.
• Preventing young children from significant number of acute respiratory illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the fossil fuel.
Source:PIB