Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan interacted with around 660 beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) on completion of four years of the ambitious scheme launched to improve the health of women.
The minister, besides inquiring about the availability and delivery of gas amid lockdown, appealed to everyone to wear masks and encouraged people to download the Aarogya Setu app. Apart from beneficiaries, officials and stakeholders too participated in the video conference.
"I want to appeal to our Ujjawala family to wear masks and encourage everyone to wear it. Corona can stay for months while our scientists are working to find a vaccine for it. Till then there is only one cure which is to wear masks, which can be your dupatta as well. We need to defeat Corona," Pradhan said.
Speaking to one of the beneficiaries from Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, the minister asked if she was getting free wheat and pulses. He also urged the beneficiary to motivate and ensure that her friends and family downloaded the Aarogya Setu app.
The minister also asked the beneficiaries whether they were satisfied with the steps taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain Coronavirus. Everyone answered in affirmative and praised the government for measures taken to contain COVID-19. The beneficiaries also thanked the Prime Minister and Dharmendra Pradhan for the smooth availability and free delivery of gas cylinders at home.
The Minister, while addressing the beneficiaries, also asked if they had received money in their accounts for gas cylinders.
Apart from Ujjawala, Pradhan also asked many about the status of COVID-19 in their states to which the beneficiaries from Bengal, Odisha and UP said that they were maintaining physical distance and wearing homemade masks.
The Minister said that the paradigm of "Jaan hai to Jahaan hai" is being followed to protect the lives of the citizens. And, the time has come to slowly resume regular activities while following all the safety guidelines.
An economic package of Rs. 20 lakh crore has been announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, details of which are being announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Pradhan also talked about the Prime Minister's call for "Atmrbhar Bharat" and appealed to all to contribute to making India self-reliant in their own ways.
( With inputs from ANI )