Budget 2018: Ujjwala scheme expands ambit to take 8 crore poor women for LPG

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today raised the target of beneficiaries under Ujjwala scheme to 8 crore, besides proposing lowering female employees' provident fund contribution to 8 per cent for the first three years.

"To incentivise employment of more women in the formal sector and to enable higher take-home wages, I propose to make amendments in the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 to reduce women employees' contribution to 8 per cent for first three years of their employment against existing rate of 12 per cent or 10 per cent with no change in employers' contribution," Jaitley said while presenting the Budget.

The percentage of working women has declined over time from 36 per cent being employed in 2005-06 to 24 per cent of women employed in 2015-16, the Economic Survey unveiled earlier this week had said.

About the Ujjwala scheme Jaitley said: "We launched the scheme to make poor women free from the smoke of wood. Initially our target was to provide free LPG connections to about 5 crore poor women.