Representative image of cooking gas cylinders.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Hyderabad: The free cooking gas cylinders supply for all eligible women in Andhra Pradesh will be launched on October 31 on the occasion of Deepavali.
Three free cooking gas cylinders under 'Deepam' scheme is one of the 'Super six' flagship promises given by TDP during the elections.
The Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday held a meeting at the state secretariat in Amaravati with the Minister for Civil Supplies, Nadendla Manohar, officials of the Civil Supplies, along with representatives of Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation and mainly focussed on the guidelines to be adopted while implementing the 'Deepam' scheme.
Naidu told the meeting that despite facing certain financial constraints, the state government will move ahead in implementing the welfare schemes which are highly beneficial to the people, particularly to the poor.
The 'Deepam' scheme, under which free cooking gas cylinders will be supplied to all eligible women in the state should be implemented in the most transparent way from Deepavali, the Chief Minister said.
All the eligible women will get three free cylinders in a year, Naidu said and directed the officials to make arrangements to book the cylinders much in advance, particularly from October 24, as the supply begins on October 31.
"The money that the women have spent till now on gas cylinders can be utilised for other domestic purposes," the Chief Minister felt and said that such schemes will certainly help improve the living conditions of the poor. This is the reason as to why the state government has decided to go ahead with the scheme despite financial constraints, he added.
The Chief Minister was very particular that the officials should ensure that there will not be any complaints whatsoever from the eligible women. He said that his Government is committed to the welfare of women in the state.
The Secretary of Civil Supplies, Veerapandyan, made a power-point presentation on the free gas cylinders supply in which he said that the retail price of each domestic gas cylinder is Rs 876 now of which the Centre is providing Rs 25 as subsidy. Veerapandyan informed the meeting that the total additional burden on the state for the coming five years is Rs 13,423 cr which will be Rs 2,684 cr per annum, due to the free supply of gas cylinders.
The state government has already implemented some promises made to the people during the election time, including reopening of Anna Canteens and now moving ahead to implement the 'Deepam' scheme.