Dharmendra Pradhan who is in charge of Ministry for Petroleum and Natural Gas has been given additional charge of Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship apart. Through this latest development, he has been promoted as Cabinet Minister.
Pradhan has been awarded for the success that PAHAL and Ujjwala schemes of the Petroleum Ministry have achieved. The two schemes played one of the most important roles in changing the lives of the poor, particularly in the rural areas.
The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) or Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh (PAHAL) scheme has been a runaway success. It found an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest cash transfer programme in the world. The Centre had launched the PAHAL scheme in 54 districts of the country on November 15, 2014 and in remaining districts of the country on January 1, 2015. The LPG consumers who joined the PAHAL scheme got LPG cylinders at market price and received LPG subsidy (as per their entitlement) directly into their bank accounts. It was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest cash transfer program (households) with 12.57 crore households receiving cash transfer as of June 30, 2015.
