- The cylinders will be given before Bihu and Durga Puja, the Assam chief minister said
- "You won't need to pay for this, 'Mama' will pay," Sarma said
- Assam will vote on April 9 and counting will be held on May 4
In a major pre-poll announcement, which has come as a surprise to many amid the LPG crisis caused by the war in Iran, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the BJP-led NDA will provide two free LPG cylinders a year to families if voted back to power.
Addressing an election rally on Saturday, Sarma said, "The government will provide two LPG cylinders free of cost to the people. One before Bihu and another before Durga Puja. You won't need to pay for this, 'Mama' (as the chief minister is sometimes called) will pay. Will this not be good?"
Assam will vote on April 9 and counting will be held on May 4.
Five LPG distributors in Assam have, meanwhile, been placed under suspension with immediate effect for not adhering to the new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on LPG cylinders issued by the Centre.
"In the backdrop of the prevailing situation in West Asia, and in line with the action plan of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, strict monitoring of LPG supplies is being undertaken across the state at both state and district levels, in coordination with Oil Marketing Companies. As part of this ongoing exercise, certain irregularities relating to distribution practices and compliance norms have come to the notice of the authorities," the chief secretary said in a statement.
The state government also said that adequate stocks of LPG are available and domestic consumers continue to receive 100% allocation.
