Modi visits house of 100 millionth beneficiary of game-changing cooking gas scheme

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (30) made a surprise visit to the house of a beneficiary of his government's Ujjwala Yojana cooking gas scheme beneficiary and had tea.

The beneficiary, Meera Manjhi, later told Asian News International that she was happy to see the PM at her residence. She said she welcomed him and shared with him the benefits she received under the scheme which was launched by Modi in 2016 to distribute 50 million LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to women of below poverty line families.

Manjhi is the 10 croreth (100 millionth) beneficiary of the scheme.

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"First he came, he sat and he spoke with my children. I folded my hands and welcomed him. He then asked us what benefits we got under this scheme. I told him I got a house, gas, free water supply. I am very happy that I am now cooking on a gas and not on a furnace," she told ANI.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi interacts with members of the family of Meera Manjhi, a beneficiary of his government's Ujjwala Yojana cooking gas scheme, in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, December 30, 2023. (ANI Photo)

The scheme enabled several women to lead a smoke-free life and a healthier lifestyle as they no longer had to cook with coal or wood and also engage in other socially rewarding pursuits.

Manjhi said Modi asked him what she had cooked for lunch. He then told her that they must have tea during the winters and she made him a cup. She said the prime minister told her that the tea was a little sweeter and she told him that it was how she prepared tea. He also spoke to other members in the family during his brief stay.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi speaks to a child at the the house of Meera Manjhi, a beneficiary of his government's Ujjwala Yojana cooking gas scheme, in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, December 30, 2023. (ANI Photo)

Modi went to Manjhi's house the same day he visited Ayodhya, a temple city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, to inaugurate a new airport, a revamped railway station and other projects ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple on January 22. The prime minister also invited Manjhi to visit the event.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi gives his autograph on a drawing made by a boy standing next to him, in Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, December 30, 2023. (ANI Photo)

The prime minister obliged children with selfies and autographs amid his busy schedule and walked Ayodhya's narrow streets. He went to Manjhi's house while returning from inaugurating the redeveloped station in the temple city.