Women in Ghanta village, Amirgadh Taluka, Banaskantha district of Gujarat have shed decades of dependence on firewood and coal, thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which has brought clean cooking fuel to households that once choked on kitchen smoke. With at least 2 lakh active LPG connections in Banaskantha alone and subsidies totalling around ₹6 crore, the scheme's decade-long run has measurably altered daily life for rural women in the district.

From Firewood to Flame: Life in Ghanta Village

Until a few years ago, Ghanta village was entirely reliant on coal and wood for cooking — a reality that meant smoke-filled kitchens, eye irritation, and arduous firewood collection, especially during the monsoon when wet wood made cooking nearly impossible.

Meenaben Damor, a resident of Ghanta village, described the shift: 'The gas cylinder has brought about a major change; earlier, we used to fetch firewood, and the smoke would sting our eyes. Now, there is no difficulty in cooking. We have benefited greatly from the government scheme; things are much easier now.'

Manishaben Sagiya, another beneficiary from the same village, echoed the sentiment: 'We have now received a gas cylinder from the government. Earlier, the rainy season caused a lot of trouble; the firewood would get wet, making cooking difficult. Now, cooking is easy, and we also receive a subsidy from the government under the Ujjwala Yojana.'

Health Impact: Fewer Respiratory Cases, Says Local Doctor

Dr. Antik Kela, a physician practising in Banaskantha, noted a visible decline in respiratory ailments among women since the scheme gained traction in the region.

'Medical histories of such patients often revealed that they cooked on traditional stoves, exposing their bodies to carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. Now, thanks to the PM Ujjwala Yojana, the need for such stoves in households has been eliminated, leading to a significant reduction in respiratory diseases among women,' Dr. Kela said. Conditions such as COPD and asthma, once common among women who cooked on chulhas, have reportedly become far less prevalent in the district.

District-Level Numbers

Bhavya Ninama, District Supply Officer for Banaskantha, confirmed that at least 2 lakh connections are currently active in the district, supported by subsidies of approximately ₹6 crore. 'This has improved people's health and enhanced their quality of life,' she said.

This comes amid the scheme completing 10 years since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016. Nationally, more than 10.5 crore women have received free LPG connections under PMUY. In Gujarat alone, over 44 lakh women from underprivileged backgrounds have benefited from the programme.

What the Scheme Covers

The Ujjwala Yojana was designed to protect the health of women and children by eliminating smoky kitchens and facilitating a transition to clean cooking fuel. Beneficiaries receive a free gas connection along with access to subsidised LPG cylinders, targeting households below the poverty line and from marginalised communities.

As the scheme marks its tenth year, the experience of Banaskantha's villages offers a ground-level indicator of whether the programme's public health promise is translating into lived reality — and, by most accounts in the district, it is.