Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of International Women’s Day announced a discount of Rs 100 on the prices of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders ‘to make the lives of women easier’. The Opposition attacked the Centre, questioning the timing of the announcement.

Taking to the social media platform ‘X’(formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Modi said, “Today, on Women’s Day, our Government has decided to reduce LPG cylinder prices by Rs 100. This will significantly ease the financial burden on millions of households across the country, especially benefiting our Nari Shakti.”

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“By making cooking gas more affordable, we also aim to support the well-being of families and ensure a healthier environment. This is in line with our commitment to empowering women and ensuring ‘Ease of Living’ for them,” he added.

The step will also boost efforts towards environmental protection and consequently improve the health of families, the PM further said.

The development comes a day after the Union Cabinet approved the continuation of Rs 300 targeted subsidy to PM Ujjwala Yojana Consumers for 2024-25.

Talking to reporters after a meeting of the union cabinet, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the beneficiaries will get the subsidy directly in their accounts. In October last year also, the government had increased the subsidy on the scheme by Rs 100 to Rs 300 from Rs 200 per 14.2-kg cylinders for, upto 12 refills per year.

PM Modi also extended greetings to women and lauded their courage. “Greetings on International Women’s Day! We salute the strength, courage, and resilience of our Nari Shakti and laud their accomplishments across various fields. Our government is committed to empowering women through initiatives in education, entrepreneurship, agriculture, technology and more. This is also reflected in our accomplishments in the last decade.”

PM Modi’s move on the LPG price was questioned by the opposition over its timing as the Lok Sabha elections will be announced next week.

NCP ( Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said, “I am not surprised at all. Look at the timing. They have been in power for the last 9 years. Why didn’t they think of this earlier? “yeh aur ek jumla hai”…In our government, the cylinder was Rs 430. Why don’t they match it ?”

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said: “The BJP is a very clever party. They sell (LPG) cylinders of Rs 395 at Rs 1000 and then PM Modi makes an announcement of reducing it by Rs 100.

West Bengal’s TMC leader Sagarika Ghose also questioned the timing of the decision. Taking it to X, she said, “Just a few days before general election 2024, the Modi government cuts LPG prices. Why could this have not been done earlier when women consumers were labouring under high LPG prices even when global prices were low? Now when elections are around the corner, down come LPG prices. Height of political cynicism! India needs a Pradhan Mantri not an election Mantri.”
Samajwadi Party Mahila Sabha national president Juhie Singh said PM Modi’s Ujjwala Yojana is a fraud.

“Mahadev is watching how people are being deceived (by the BJP government). Cylinder prices are increasing. I think PM Modi should visit not only the ‘sponsored part’ of the villages but actually go and see how ‘Ujjwala Yojana’ is a fraud. Women are a huge part of the population and a big chunk of our society. So, unless you won’t make them economically strong, there would be no development in the society,” she said.