Rural Connect Amid Bypoll Fight: PM Modi Interacts With Ujjwala Yojana Beneficiaries Via NaMo App
The Prime Minister's address, combined with a veiled attack on the Opposition, comes in the midst of the by-elections underway in 14 seats across 10 states.
New Delhi, May 28: In what could be viewed as a rural connect amid the crucial bypoll fight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the beneficiaries of Ujjwala Yojana via the NaMo app.
In a hour-long public interaction with selected beneficiaries of free-LPG program, the Prime Minister highlighted the steps taken by his government over the past four years to provide the cooking gas connection even in the most remotest parts of the nation.
"In last 4 years, over 10 crore households have been provided with the LPG connection. On the other hand, only 13 crore households were provided the gas connection in the past 60 years," Modi said.
Highlighting the success of Ujjwala Yojana, Modi said 4 crore families under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) have been provided with free LPG connections. "The target is to extend the benefit to 8 crore BPL families by 2020," the PM added.
Modi further claimed that nearly 85 per cent of the beneficiaries under the Ujjwala Yojana are members of the Dalit and and adivasi communities. "The statistics might shock some of those who claim to be Dalit leaders," he added, taking a jibe at the SC/ST leaders from the Opposition camp.
The Prime Minister's address, combined with a veiled attack on the Opposition, comes in the midst of the by-elections underway in 14 seats across 10 states.
Among the seats contested include four Lok Sabha constituencies -- Uttar Pradesh's Kairana, Maharashtra's Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia, and the sole parliamentary constituency of Nagaland.
The 10 assembly segments being contested are: Maharashtra's Kalus-Padegaon, Bihar's Jokihat, Jharkhand's Gamia and Silli, Karnataka's Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Kerala's Chikmagalur, Meghalaya's Ampati, UP's Noorpur, Punjab's Shahkot, Uttarakhand's Tharali (SC) and West Bengal's Maheshtala.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 28, 2018 10:14 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).