Karnataka wants oil companies to release additional LPG connections

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday demanded that Oil Marketing Companies (OMC) release additional LPG connections for the state's Mukhya Mantri Anila Bhagya Yojana (MMABY), an official statement said.

Kumaraswamy met Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan here on Monday to seek his directions, saying that MMABY was "complementary" to the Central government's Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).

Pradhan assured Kumaraswamy that he would examine the matter and consider it favourably.

The MMABY -- in which the beneficiary family is provided with gas connection, gas stove and two refills free of cost -- aims at universalising the LPG usage and cover families which cannot be covered under the PMUY.

As per the statement, the OMCs had agreed to release 1 lakh connections each in September and October 2018 and treat the beneficiaries similar to any other applicant.

"OMCs had informed that they need to ramp up their resources in terms of availability of gas cylinders, regulators, and suraksha tube to release more than 50,000 MMABY connections every month," said the statement.

"In order to realise the goal of kerosene-free Karnataka, the connection release capacity for MMABY should be increased to 1.5-2 lakh connections per month along with the provision to pay the security deposit on behalf of the beneficiaries to the distributors.

"Hence, the Chief Minister appealed to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to give necessary directions to the Oil Marketing Companies in this regard," the statement said.

--IANS

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