BJP highlights economic strength, benefits of Ujjwala Yojana
The
BJP
on Thursday cited a host of developments to project buoyancy in the Indian economy and the positive impacts of the Modi government's welfare measures. Its national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha noted that the Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojana
, a scheme providing
LPG connections
to poor households that completed its ninth anniversary on May 1, has provided 10.33 crore connections so far, with nearly nine crore beneficiaries turning out to be sustained users of the programme.
This negates the opposition's claim that many beneficiaries did not opt for refills after utilising the initial free gas cylinders , Sinha told reporters.
The scheme has led to an expansion in the LPG network with 7,959 more distributorships, overwhelmingly in the rural areas, he said, adding that the per capita consumption was 3.95 cylinders.
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Sinha said the beneficiaries include 1.85 crore in Uttar Pradesh, 1.23 crore in West Bengal and 1.16 crore in Bihar, adding that it shows the wide popularity of the welfare programme that also led to a drop in carbon footprints.
He also cited several case studies to assert that the scheme led to the mitigation of pulmonary diseases among women, as they began using smoke-free mode of cooking.
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The BJP spokesperson also referred to a Moody's report to highlight the strength of the domestic economy, which will not be impacted much by the US tariffs.
India is well-positioned to deal with the negative effects of US tariffs and global trade disruptions as domestic growth drivers and low dependence on exports anchor the economy, Moody's Ratings said on Wednesday.
In a note on India, the ratings agency said government initiatives to boost private consumption, expand manufacturing capacity and increase infrastructure spending will help offset the weakening outlook for global demand.
Sinha said the EPFO also reported 7.5 lakh new subscribers in March, with 59 per cent of them falling in the 18-25 years age group.
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