• Confident of launching direct benefit transfer for kerosene this fiscal: Pradhan

    The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is confident of rolling out the direct benefit transfer for kerosene (DBTK) scheme in the 2016-17 fiscal.

    “The issue with kerosene is that states will have to compile the consumer list. They have asked for some more time which we have agreed to. But I am confident of rolling out a comprehensive DBTK model in the 2016-17 fiscal,” Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said on Friday.

    The Minister was speaking at an event to announce that more one crore households have given up the LPG subsidy under the government’s ‘GiveItUp’ scheme.

    “The latest figures that we have shows that 1.13 crore people have given up the LPG subsidy voluntarily across states in little over a year since the campaign was launched. Five states – Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu – have contributed to 50 per cent of those who have given up the LPG subsidy,” said Pradhan.

    As a result of the voluntary foregoing of subsidy, 60 lakh below poverty line families have been provided LPG connections, the Minister said.

    Under the GiveItUp scheme, consumers foregoing subsidy cannot reclaim subsidy till at least one year is over. “We will look at different models of providing them subsidy if they want it when LPG prices are higher,” Pradhan said. Will Butcher Jersey

    Share This
    Facebooktwitterlinkedinyoutube