Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday announced that people living below the poverty line will get 12 LPG cylinders per year for just Rs 500. The Chief Minister made the announcement during a Bharat Jodo Yatra-related event in Alwar today. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge were present at the rally where Gehlot made the announcement.
Who will get 12 cylinders for Rs 500?
Any person living below the poverty line, who is registered and covered under the Centre’s Ujjwala scheme, will be a beneficiary for the new plan. Calling the Centre’s scheme a ‘sham’, Gehlot said that even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had provided the connections of LPG supply, people were still in trouble as these cylinders were ‘lying empty at homes’ as the rates have gone up due to inflation.
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When will Rajasthan announce a new LPG plan?
According to Chief Minister Gehlot, the new plan will come into effect from April 1 next year. He said that he was preparing the next year’s state budget and this was one of the key provisions that the state government will launch to help the common man fight inflation. To help in recognising the eligible beneficiaries, the Rajasthan government will soon launch a survey, Gehlot added.
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Eye on 2023 Rajasthan elections?
While the announcement was made during a rally on the sidelines of the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, many see this as a poll promise. Rajasthan goes to polls next year. Despite the inhouse leadership woes, Gehlot is eyeing a second consecutive term as Rajasthan CM. Gehlot’s troubled relationship with his bête noir Sachin Pilot is out in the open. The impact of this power game may hamper the electoral success of the Congress in Rajasthan, some party watchers say. During the Monday event in Alwar, Gehlot also spoke about the free electricity provided by the state government. In Rajasthan, 50 units of free electricity is supplied to the farmers every month. According to Gehlot, there are nearly 50 lakh farmers in the state that don’t pay anything for power supply.