Will lay gas pipelines across the Northeast soon: MoS Rameswar Teli

Shillong: Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Labour and Employment, Rameswar Teli informed that the ministry is exploring places across India to find oil and gas.

Shillong: Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Labour and Employment, Rameswar Teli informed that the ministry is exploring places across India to find oil and gas.

Teli, during a press conference at Shillong Club on Tuesday, said the hike in prices of gas and oil is because they are bought from foreign countries.

” 83% of oil is purchased from outside. We also wish for the same that gas and oil prices shouldn’t increase. But when the international market increases the price, petroleum companies like GAIL increases the price,” said Teli.

He further informed that due to this, the ministry is looking out for places with oil and gas. “Even in NE, we are exploring the places,” mentioned the minister. 

The union minister also informed that the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has already started exploring Meghalaya. Currently, the process has come to a standstill due to the incessant rains witnessed in the state.

Ujjwala scheme illuminating lives

Ten beneficiaries from the East Khasi Hills district received free LPG connections. The Minister informed that the 62% target of the Ujjwala scheme has been achieved in the state of Meghalaya and requested the state government to put all efforts so that the 100 per cent target could be achieved soon.

Eleven beneficiaries were provided with Pension Payment Order (PPO) as part of the PRAYAS initiative for Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav 2022. Under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme, 1976 (EDLI), a beneficiary received a cheque of Rs 7 lakh for five members of Rs 1.4 lakh each. Ten beneficiaries were given E-Shram cards while PM-SYM benefits were distributed among five beneficiaries.

The Minister while referring to the Ujjwala Yojana said the number of people, especially women whose lives are illuminated by the Ujjwala Yojana is unprecedented. “A few years ago the rural and poor households were compelled to use traditional cooking fuel such as firewood, stoves run on kerosene, coal, cow-dung cakes etc,” said the Minister citing the detrimental impact on the health of rural women and children as well as on the environment. 

Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas was successful in introducing the ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY) as a flagship scheme to provide clean cooking fuel such as LPG available to deprived households. So far, more than 9 crore women have been provided with free LPG connection, the Minister added.

Teli informed the gathering that gas pipelines would be laid across all the Northeastern states. He said the project to lay the gas pipeline would be executed by Indradhanush Gas Grid Ltd and work will start very soon. Under this project, Meghalaya too is included and this pipeline will extend till Shillong, the work for which will begin very soon.

Later in the day, Rameswar Teli also took a review meeting of officials of the various departments of the state government where he took stock of the implementation of various centrally sponsored schemes.

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