Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai was addressing the annual conference and LPG distributor felicitation ceremony organized by the Chhattisgarh Indane LPG Distributors Association at a private hotel in Raipur.
Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma, Forest Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap, and MLA Shri Purander Mishra were present as special guests. The Chief Minister and other guests honored LPG distributors who had been providing gas connections and refills for 25 years with mementos.
The Chief Minister stated that those who delivered gas connections during challenging initial years deserve congratulations. He attributed the ease of access to domestic gas to the Petroleum Ministry of the Indian government and the distributors. The number of domestic gas consumers has increased rapidly in recent years, largely due to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Ujjwala Yojana, which currently has over 12 crore consumers.
The Chief Minister noted that Indane dealers are diligently serving both urban and tribal areas. The Ujjwala Yojana’s success is attributed to Indane’s widespread network, reaching even the remotest areas. He lauded the honored dealers for their excellent work in consumer service, stating the scheme has liberated millions of women from smoke. This success is credited to both the Prime Minister and the distributors who ensured timely delivery.
Recalling his school days, the Chief Minister shared his experiences of cooking with wood, the challenges of wet wood in the rainy season requiring kerosene, and the resulting eye irritation. He mentioned having to travel 150 kilometers to Raigarh for refills and the two-year wait for gas connections. He also recalled the limited number of gas connection coupons available to parliamentarians, leading to competition among the public. He highlighted the improvements in accessibility under Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime and beyond. He stressed the need to increase the refill percentage in tribal and rural areas.
Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Shri Vijay Sharma congratulated and wished well to the honored distributors, mentioning the significant improvements in governance and processes under Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai’s leadership.
Forest Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap highlighted the role of LPG gas connections in forest conservation. He mentioned that India now has over 35 crore gas connections.
The welcome address was given by the Association’s President, Shri Vikas. Indane’s Divisional LPG Sales Head, Shri Rupesh Rathore, also shared his thoughts. Many officials and distributors of the organization were present at the event.