Tamil Nadu has announced a major relief for women and families struggling with rising cooking gas costs.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has announced that women heads of households will receive three free LPG cylinders every year under the new ‘Annapoorani Super 6’ scheme.
The scheme is expected to begin from the upcoming Pongal festival in January.
The government has set aside around Rs 4,000 crore every year for the scheme, which is expected to benefit more than 1.30 crore eligible families across Tamil Nadu.
Who Will Get The Free LPG Cylinders?
The scheme is mainly aimed at economically weaker families.
Households with an annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh will be eligible. It will also cover families belonging to economically weaker sections, small and marginal farmers, and families with differently-abled members.
The benefit will be provided through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Under the system, the cost of the LPG cylinder will be reimbursed after the cylinder is booked and delivered.
The money will then be directly credited to the bank account of the female head of the household.
The reimbursement will be based on official billing records from oil marketing companies.
Why Has The Government Announced This Scheme?
The government said rising LPG prices have increased the financial pressure on households.
According to the Chief Minister, global supply disruptions and conflicts in the Gulf region have contributed to higher costs in recent months.
As a result, some families have reportedly been forced to look for alternative cooking fuels.
The new scheme is intended to reduce this burden by helping families cover part of their regular cooking gas expenses.
The government said preparations for the scheme have already started and the first phase will begin during Pongal in January.
Focus On Women’s Financial Support
The LPG scheme is also part of the government’s broader focus on women’s welfare and empowerment.
The Chief Minister said several other initiatives have already received budgetary support, including Singa Pen, Thaimaman Thangamothiram, Vetri Magalir Adugal Valarppu and Annanin Seer.
These programmes are aimed at improving women’s safety, social development and livelihood opportunities.
Women And Transgender Persons To Get More Free Bus Travel
The Tamil Nadu government has also announced an expansion of its free public transport initiative.
Under the ‘Vetri Payanam’ scheme, women and transgender persons will be able to travel free on more categories of government buses from October 2, which is Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
The expanded benefit will cover Express, Limited Stop Service (LSS) and Deluxe government buses operating in metropolitan and urban areas.
The facility will also be available on ordinary-fare buses operating in mofussil and hilly areas, helping people travelling between districts.
No Income Limit Or Trip Restriction For Free Travel
The government is expected to spend around Rs 6,000 crore every year on the Vetri Payanam scheme.
Importantly, the government has said there will be no income limit for women and transgender persons to use the free bus travel facility.
There will also be no restriction on the number of trips.
With the two announcements, the Tamil Nadu government is expanding support in two important areas of household spending — cooking gas and public transport.
