For the people of Delhi, this time Holi can be not only about colors but also about relief. Rekha Gupta government has taken a big decision to provide direct benefits to poor families. The scheme of giving one free LPG gas cylinder each on Holi and Diwali has been approved by the Cabinet. For this, the government has fixed a budget of about Rs 300 crore.

This decision is to the election promise of BJP. In which it was said to give free cylinders to poor families on festivals. On the occasion of completion of one year of coming to power, the government has decided to implement this scheme. The first free cylinder will be available on Holi. This means that this time the preparation for the festival is going to be easy from the kitchen itself. Know who will get the benefit.

This scheme has been brought for the economically weaker section of Delhi. Those families who are ration card holders and fall in the poor category under the public distribution system, will get its benefit. At present there are about 17.18 lakh ration card holders in Delhi. Initially only these people will be included in the scheme. The government has identified eligible beneficiaries on the basis of ration card database.

So with this the verification process has also been completed. Meaning those families whose names are correctly entered in the ration card system. They will not have to run for long distances separately. The government’s focus is on those households where gas cylinder becomes the biggest burden in daily expenses. This scheme will bring direct relief to such families.

Instead of delivering gas cylinders to the homes of the beneficiaries, the Delhi government is adopting the route of transferring money directly. According to officials, on Holi and Diwali, an amount equal to the cost of each cylinder, around Rs 850, will be sent to the Aadhaar linked bank account of the beneficiaries. This money will be transferred through DBT.

After this, families will be able to get cylinders from their nearest gas agency. The government says that this will reduce the scope for middlemen. This type of system is already implemented in UP and the same model is being adopted in Delhi. The first transfer can be done around Holi. This means that this time the worries about colors and the kitchen will also be less.