Page 53 - NIS English 16-31 July,2023

Amrit Mahotsav Nation

people of Chhattisgarh. Due to his influence, men
and women from many villages started participating
in the movement. In the second phase of the Civil
Disobedience Movement, Dr. Baghel was arrested on
DR. KHUBCHAND BAGHEL 15 February 1932. Along with this, his mother Ketki
Bai, and wife Rajkunwar were also arrested while
LEFT THE JOB FOR protesting. After being released from jail in 1933,
he started the work of Harijan upliftment on the
call of Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress Committee
THE FREEDOM OF appointed him as the minister of the Provincial
Harijan Seva Samiti. He was also a good writer.
THE COUNTRY He attacked social evils and spread patriotism by
writing plays like Karam Chadha, Jarnail Singh, Unch

Satyagraha from 1 May to 7 May 1939. As soon as
Born: 19 July 1900, Died: 22 February 1969 Neech, and Ladega. He also received training in the
the individual Satyagraha movement started in the
r. Khubchand Baghel was born on 19 July 1900 year 1940, he became active and started spreading
Din Pathri village of Raipur. His father's name was nationalist sentiments. Baghel used to visit villages
Jodavan Singh and his mother's name was Ketki Bai. by forming a group of youths for social and political
After receiving education from Raipur Government awakening through his plays.
School, he studied medicine in Nagpur and also obtained In the year 1942, at the time of the Quit India
other degrees. He participated in the Flag Satyagraha announcement, Baghel along with other leaders
in 1923. While working as a government doctor from went to Mumbai to listen to the speech of Mahatma
1925 to 1931, he came in contact with the national Gandhi. While returning from there other companions
leaders of Chhattisgarh. Despite being a government were arrested in Malkapur but Baghel escaped from
employee, he violated the Forest Act in 1930 during the police and reached Raipur. Going underground,
the Civil Disobedience Movement. He supported the anti-government revolutionaries kept on distributing
Satyagrahis on 10 October 1930 and started leading pamphlets and giving anti-British speeches. He was
them. When he got the notice, he resigned from the job finally arrested on 23 August 1942. Baghel remained
and became a complete Satyagrahi. very active even after the country got independence.
Baghel had become a motivator for the rural He died on 22 February 1969.

LPG 'FUEL OF REVOLUTION' PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJANA

India has achieved significant growth in the number of LPG
Total LPG Consumers in India
consumers in the last nine years. The number of active domestic
LPG consumers increased from 14.52 crore in April 2014 to 31.36
2x increase
crore by March 2023. Around 17 crores of LPG consumers have been
connected in the last 9 years. This significant increase is due to the
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). LPG coverage increased 31.36
crores
from 62% in 2016 to 104.1% in 2022. The total number of connections 14.52
crores
released under PMUY till January 30, 2023, was 9.58 crore. Further,
on March 24, 2023, the Union Cabinet approved a subsidy of Rs 200
2014 2023
for PMUY beneficiaries for up to 12 refills of 14.2 kg cylinders per year.
A WHO report published in 2018 said that 37 million women living
below the poverty line were provided free LPG connections under also benefited the environment.
the Ujjwala scheme to help them switch to cleaner household Along with this, there was a
energy use. The scheme increased LPG coverage among Indian comprehensive improvement in
households, made the kitchen smoke-free through clean fuel, and the health of women.

New India Samachar July 16-31, 2023 51