Moneycontrol News
It was in 2016 when Narendra Modi had launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to ensure that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections are provided to those living below the poverty line (BPL). And now National Geographic is working on a documentary that will showcase how the scheme has changed the lives of people, according to a report in Mint.
In the documentary, the infotainment channel will share the account of four women talking about the change in their lives after the launch of the Ujjwala Yojana.
“The documentary focuses on the need for accessible clean energy in every household in the country, and explores how initiatives on cleaner cooking fuel have transformed the lives of many in the country. The attempt was to showcase the lives of the women and children who are most affected and bear the consequences of cooking with biomass,” Swati Mohan, business head, National Geographic and Fox Networks Group India was quoted as saying.
The documentary is spread across places like the Kashmir Valley, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha where field workers and volunteers educate people about the advantages of switching to LPG.
India is home to more than 24 crore households out of which about 10 crore are still deprived of LPG as cooking fuel and have to rely on firewood, coal, dung etc as primary source of fuel for cooking. The smoke from burning such fuels causes massive pollution and adversely affects the health of women and children leading to respiratory diseases.
Around 2.52 million people die due to pollution in India each year and household pollution resulting from the burning of biomass stoves is a major contributor to this statistic.
A senior oil ministry official pointed out that the wide reach of the Ujjwala scheme got National Geographic interested in the programme.
Experts suggest that Ujjwala’s narrative gels well with National Geographic’s positioning in a crowded media landscape. “National Geographic is a purist when it comes to infotainment,” said Debarpita Banerjee, president, north and east, at advertising agency FCB Ulka. “It truly believes in creating content around education and exploration and has done documentaries that do justice to these content pillars irrespective of whether the source is a government-driven programme or an NGO.”
National Geographic has worked on multiple documentary projects of various ministries and government bodies including Nuclear Power Corp of India, ministry of AYUSH, Indian Naval Academy, ministry of home affairs, government of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh tourism board, Assam Tourism Development Corporation and ministry of tourism (Incredible India campaign) among others.
Progress report of the scheme
According to a report in Business Standard, while the number of LPG connections across India has increased by an impressive 16.26 per cent since the scheme was launched, the use of gas cylinders increased only by 9.83 per cent. This is lower than the rate recorded in 2014-15, when the scheme did not exist.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
