PM to launch free cooking gas scheme on Sunday

New Delhi, April 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday launch the Rs.8,000 crore scheme to provide 5 crore free cooking gas connections to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, to be run essentially using the money saved from 1.13 crore cooking gas users voluntarily giving up their subsidies, aims to provide cooking gas connections to 5 crore women beneficiaries from BPL families over the next three years, said informed sources.

The prime minister will also visit his constituency Varanasi, where he will distribute e-rickshaws to beneficiaries.

"He (Modi) will visit Gyan Pravah - Centre for Cultural Studies and Research at Varanasi and hold a meeting with prominent citizens in Varanasi," an official source said.

The prime minister will also launch a scheme for environment-friendly E-Boats at the famous Assi Ghat.

These E-boats will not only reduce pollution, but will also bring down the operational costs, thereby enabling higher incomes for those who earn their livelihoods through such boats on river Ganga, the official source said.

IANS