'Infrastructure Key to India's Development,' Says Union Minister Hardeep Puri
New Delhi (Uttam Hindu News): Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has stressed that India is continuously developing its energy infrastructure and work is progressing on the vision of 'One Nation One Gas Grid' under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During a program in Durgapur, West Bengal, the Union Minister said that till 2014, there were only 15,000 kilometers of natural gas pipelines in the country, which has now increased to about 25,000 kilometers and many kilometers are under construction.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Puri said, "It is not easy to stand amidst the opposing currents and change their direction. But when a visionary leader becomes a guardian, standing like a rock with the countrymen, it becomes possible. When petrol and diesel prices were skyrocketing across the world, Prime Minister Modi ensured that the heat of rising prices did not reach India,"
He said that as a major economy, India is the only country where petrol and diesel prices have decreased instead of increasing in the last three years. Union Minister Puri stressed, "Prime Minister Modi reduced the central excise duty, which saved the countrymen's earnings by Rs 13 and Rs 16 per liter on petrol and diesel respectively. BJP-ruled states also reduced VAT."
He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, there has been an LPG revolution in the last 11 years, which has brought a new wave of change in every sector. Union Minister Puri said, "More than 10.33 crore women have been given free connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. Even today, they get a cylinder for only Rs 553, which is less than other LPG producing countries."
He further said that in contrast, the price of the same cylinder in neighbouring Sri Lanka is Rs 1,204, in Nepal Rs 1,201 and in Pakistan Rs 1,000. The Union Minister said, "The number of beneficiaries of this scheme in West Bengal alone is more than 1.25 crore. This revolution has not only improved the health of women, but it has also become an important means of employment generation. Clean energy is now present in almost every kitchen in the country."