Coimbatore: About 5 ,000 free LPG connections will be provided to underprivileged women in 70 villages in and around the district on April 20 to mark the Ujjwala Diwas. The initiative has been taken up by the ministry of petroleum and natural gas as part as part of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Indian Oil Corporation officials said here on Wednesday.“We have received around 5,000 ‘know your customer’ (KYC) forms from families in 70 villages in and around Coimbatore. They have been classified under categories such as people from SC/ST communities, people who had received houses under the PM Awas Yojana, forest dwellers and tea estate workers. They will be given free LPG connections on April 20,” district nodal officer of Indian Oil Corporation S Prathap said.Also, one village each from Coimbatore and Pollachi have been identified to be made smokeless villages, the official said. “Kanuvakkarai village in Coimbatore and Thoppampatti village in Pollcahi have been identified to be made smokeless. So far, there are 1,041 households in the villages, of which we have given 920 LPG connections. By May 5, we will be giving 121 more connections. This is done in an effort to make the villages free of biomass stoves and smoke,” Prathap said.By adding these two villages, the number of smokeless villages in the district will touch 18. LPG refills will be delivered in rural areas within 48 hours of receiving the requests, the official said.To observe Ujjwala Diwas on April 20, 70 LPG Panchayats will be held in the 70 villages. “The event would bring together 400 women in each village and educate them about the safe use of LPG and its benefits on health, environment and empowerment,” he said.Speaking about the subsidy for LPG connections, Prathap said the beneficiaries would be given the subsidy only if their LPG account and bank accounts are linked with the Aadhaar card.

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