Bhopal: Ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG) has decided to celebrate Ujjwala Diwas as part of ‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyan’ in state on April 20. Chief general manager, Indian Oil Corporation & state-level coordinator, MP Vigyan Kumar informed that LPG panchayats will be organised by the LPG distributors in their respective areas under the programme and a total of 1174 such panchayats were scheduled to be held on April 20.
Key activities that will be undertaken under the panchayats include distribution of new LPG connections to beneficiaries, explaining details of expanded PMUY categories and collection of KYC forms for expanded categories of Ujjwala organisation. By creating a special day of observation, MoPNG through its PSU oil marketing companies (OMCs) intends to promote safe and sustained use of LPG among rural population through peer group interactions on a large scale.
According to the company, the LPG panchayat is a community meeting which will serve as a platform for LPG consumers to interact with each other, promote mutual learning, and share their experiences. Each panchayat aims to bring together about 500 women from the neighbouring areas, thus providing a platform for Ujjwala LPG users to share information on how to use LPG safely, as well as spread the message of its multiple benefits, like health, environment and empowerment of women.
Women who have experienced the benefits of cooking with LPG can now boost the confidence of other women about adopting this clean, green cooking fuel safely and without any reservations or misconceptions. Sharing of experiences by actual users and learning through peer group interaction is thus the main aim of LPG panchayats.