Chhattisgarh to build gas godowns in Naxal zone for Ujjwala scheme

State targets connections to 2.5 million households, steps into territory oil companies have been avoiding

The Chhattisgarh government will be building gas godowns, majority of which will come up in the interior areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), to successfully implement the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

The ambitious social welfare scheme of the Narendra Modi-led government was launched in the state in August 2016. Under the PM Ujjwala Yojana, the government aims to provide LPG connections to BPL households in the country.

The scheme is aimed at replacing unclean cooking fuels mostly used in the rural India with clean and more efficient LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).

The Chhattisgarh government had set a target to provide gas connections to 2.5 million households. The difficult task is the supply of LPG refills in the interior areas, especially in Naxal-infested pockets. Due to security challenges, no oil company had set up godowns in these areas fearing it would be a vulnerable target for the rebels.

“The state government had decided to construct 50 godowns in the interior areas of 19 districts with an estimated cost of Rs 5.25 crore,” a state government spokesperson said. The godowns would be built by the cooperative societies selected by the state government. They would also be entrusted with the job of supplying LPG refills in the interior areas.

Of the 50 villages identified, 31 are in the Bastar and Sarguja divisions. Both the divisions are Naxal-affected. While 19 godowns would be constructed in Bastar, 12 would be built in Sarguja division.