Cabinet okays 75 lakh more free LPG connections
Ajay Banerjee
New Delhi, September 13
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday in separate decisions okayed additional 75 lakh deposit-free LPG connections under the existing Ujjwala Yojana and expanded the e-Court facility across the country.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said, “We will give 75 lakh more LPG connections for free. This will be an extension of Ujjwala Yojana and Rs 1650 crore expense has been approved”.
Thakur said the first refill and cooking stove is also given free. The cost of deposit free connection will be borne by the government.
About 9.60 crore cylinders have already been given under Ujjwala Yojana in the past nine years. The 75 lakh connection will be in addition to existing connections.
This move comes just days after the government reduced the cost of LPG connections by Rs 200 each.
Thakur said the Cabinet also approved eCourts Project phase-III. It will cost Rs 7210 crore to make all courts paperless over the next four years.
This will include hardware and software facility to have online cause list, electronic filing system including electronic summoning will be added. Live streaming will also be provided.
Artificial intelligence will be used and integration of the criminal justice system will be done.
E-filing will be mandatory and old records will be digitised. 4,400 E-Seva Kendra will be set up under the project. Paying of traffic challans will be possible 24×7, Thakur added.
The first phase of eCourts cost Rs 1640 crore and was implemented across 14,639 courts. The second phase cost Rs 1670 crore and about 18,000 courts were digitised. Almost 99 percent of courts have been digitised. The third phase of the project will be under a central scheme.
The Cabinet also welcomed the success of the G20 summit. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh moved a resolution in Cabinet which was passed to thank the Prime Minister and his leadership.
Thakur said the unanimously passed New Delhi declaration proved that India is setting the global agenda. India has always said that the G20 should be inclusive and the African Union joining the G20 shows that India is the voice of the Global South.
Thakur said the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor was a major development and would help the farmers.
