2 Koraput villages to be declared 'smokeless'

Two tribal villages in Odisha's Koraput district are set to be declared 'smokeless' next month as all households there would be using LPG under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) instead of conventional fuel by that time, a district official said.

The two villages are Khudubu in Nandaput block which has 403 households, and Jhadiguda in Koraput block with 323 households.

"At present, around 90 per cent of the households in these two villages have switched over from conventional fuel to LPG," said Prasanna Kumar Pradhan, the nodal officer of PMUY for Koraput district.

"We are hopeful that the remaining households will start using LPG in next couple of weeks. The announcement will be made in a special function on May 5," he added.

The villages switched to LPG after the officials held several meetings with the residents and showed them how to use LPG stove.

"Initially, the villagers did not cooperate with us. When they were made aware of the health hazards of indoor air pollution, which is caused by traditional fuel, they agreed to adopt LPG," Pradhan said.

To popularise the use of LPG, the ministry has planned to observe Ujjwala Diwas in a grand way in the tribal dominated district on April 20.

On the occasion, at least 18 LPG panchayats with 500 women in each panchayat, will be created in the 14 blocks of the district. In each panchayat, women will be explained about the benefits of using LPG.

"Women who have experienced the benefits of cooking with LPG will speak on the occasion to boost the confidence of other women. We want more and more women to adopt clean and green cooking fuel without reservations or misconception," he added.