Government to launch Deepam scheme from Deepavali

Vijayawada: As per Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement, free supply of gas cylinders to all eligible women in the State will be launched on the occasion of Deepavali on October 31.

The Chief Minister held a meeting with Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar, civil supplies officials as well as representatives of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation at the State Secretariat on Monday and mainly focused on the guidelines to be adopted during the implementation of the “Deepam” scheme.

Naidu told the gathering that despite facing certain financial constraints, the State will go ahead with implementing welfare schemes that are highly beneficial to the people, especially the poor.

The Chief Minister said the ‘Deepam’ scheme, under which free cooking gas cylinders will be provided to all eligible women in the State, should be implemented in the most transparent manner from Deepavali.

Naidu said all eligible women will get three free cylinders in a year and asked officials to make arrangements to reserve cylinders in advance, especially from October 24 as deliveries will begin from October 31.

“The money that women have spent on gas cylinders so far can be used for other domestic purposes,” the chief minister said. He said such schemes will definitely help improve the living conditions of the poor. “This is why the state government has decided to go ahead with the scheme despite financial constraints,” he said.

Also Read: https://misportal.in/telangana-scheme-list/Telangana Scheme List 2024: Check Eligibility, Benefits & Application Process

The chief minister was conscious that officials should ensure that there are no complaints from eligible women. He said his government was committed to the welfare of women in the state. Civil Supplies Secretary Veerapandian gave a power point presentation on the provision of free gas cylinders, where he said the retail price of each domestic gas cylinder is now Rs 876, of which the Centre provides Rs 25 as subsidy.

Veerapandian told the meeting that the total additional burden on the State in the coming five years is Rs 13,423 crore which will be Rs 2,684 crore per year due to free supply of gas cylinders.

The State government has already implemented some of the promises made to the people during the election period including reopening of Anna canteens and is now moving ahead to implement the ‘Deepam’ scheme.