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By Greetha Singh

In developing countries like India clean and safe cooking especially in the rural parts of the country is a top priority of the government.

Unsafe cooking directly impacts women’s health which is 50% of the population. In past Government of India (GoI) has launched many initiatives to provide clean cooking fuel like LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cylinders to rural and underprivileged households across the country.

In this article, you will learn about one just initiative launched by GoI targeting women and their health.

WHO on Household Air Pollution

But before you learn about the scheme you need to know what WHO (World Health Organization) has to say about the impact of Household Air Pollution emanating from unclean cooking fuel like Coal, Wood etc on women’s health.

Here are some facts

  • Around 300 million people in India cook using unclean fuel like coal, wood, animal dung, crop waste etc
  • Around 4 million people die prematurely every year due to illness attributed to household air pollution
  • Particulate Matter (PM) found in the household air pollution is the main cause of half of the deaths.
  • 27% deaths due to Pneumonia, 18% due to stroke, 27% due to heart diseases, 8% due to lung cancer

What is Ujjwala Yojana?

Due to aforementioned facts, Government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana or PMUY scheme with tagline “Swachh Indhan, Behtar Jeevan” on 1 May 2016 flagged by Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi.

This flagship scheme was aimed to provide clean cooking fuel (LPG) to 50 million women from rural and underprivileged households by 2019 promoting a clean smoke-free cooking environment.

Ujjwala Scheme will promote the use of LPG in rural households addressing serious issues like health, air pollution and deforestation.

This scheme was implemented by Petroleum and Natural Gas implements the Ujjwala Scheme.

Ujjwala Yojana 2.0

Ujjwala Yojana 2.0 is just an extension of Original Ujjawala Scheme, which was also launched in 2016. The aim was to provide LPG connections to even more households.

Original scheme was aimed to reach 50 million families living below poverty line, later with Ujjwala Yojana 2.0 target was increased to 80 million women by March 2020. However this target was achieved seven months ahead, by September 2019.

Objective of Ujjwala Yojana Scheme

As it is very clear from the outset of this article, objective of PMUY scheme is to provide clean cooking fuel specifically LPG gas cylinders.

By doing this, Ujjwala scheme almost eliminates any health hazards associated with traditional unclean cooking fuels like coal, wood etc, particularly among women and children.

  • Improvement in Health – Eliminates all kinds of serious pulmonary diseases like pneumonia, lung cancer, Tuberculosis etc caused by indoor air pollution.
  • Environmental Sustainability – Use of cleaner fuel like LPG reduces dependency on wood hence mitigates deforestation and also curbs carbon emissions.
  • Women Empowerment – But the most important objective of the scheme is to give dignity to women by improving their health and living standard.

Implementation of the Ujjwala Yojana Scheme

PMUY scheme was implemented through LPG distributors across India, targeting specifically below-poverty-line (BPL) households. The whole implementation involved awareness campaigns, registration, and issuance of LPG connections and provision of subsidized cylinders.

  • A Woman from BPL family can apply for the new LPG connection
  • Application form should include KYC details like Aadhar, ration card etc.
  • LPG Field officials will match the application data against the SECC-2011 database and issue the connection
  • Government will bear connection charges, OMCs (Oil Marketing Companies) will provide an option to opt for EMIs to cover the cost of cooking stove and first refill.
  • OMCs will organize fairs at various locations for release of connection to the families.

Eligibility Criteria for the Scheme

Following are the eligibility criteria for the Scheme

  • Applicant must be a woman of age above 18. She must also be a citizen of India.
  • She should come from Below Poverty Line economic background. Monthly income of her family should not exceed certain limit prescribed by the State government.
  • No one from her household should have another LPG connection.
  • Applicant’s name must be in the SECC-2011 List.
  • Applicant should not be registered under any other similar scheme offered by the government.

Main Beneficiary of Ujjwala Yojana Scheme

Following are the categories who are beneficiary of PMUY scheme.

  • A woman belonging to the BPL family.
  • Poor household as per 14 point declaration
  • Tea and Ex Tea Garden Tribes
  • SC/ST Households
  • People residing in Islands and River Islands
  • Forest Dwellers
  • Most Backward Classes

Benefits of Ujjwala Yojana for Women

PMUY scheme has multifaceted advantages. Most obvious benefit is improving women’s health by reducing indoor pollution.

Other major benefits of PMUY are

  1. LPG Connection under PMUY scheme shall be in the name of a woman, providing subsidy in woman’s account.
  2. PMUY scheme has empowered rural women and protected them and their families from many acute respiratory ailments.
  3. Women who had to go out for collecting woods were frequently subjected to sexual harassment but after receiving LPG connections they don’t have to go out.
  4. Stopping wood as a cooking fuel had a positive impact on forest cover and environment in general due to improved air quality.
  5. PMUY has generated so many jobs for rural youth in cooking gas supply chain and also employment opportunities in logistics and maintenance.
  6. LPG Cylinders saves a lot of time, which allows women to look out for other employment opportunities.

Challenges Faced by Ujjwala Yojana Scheme

Despite its huge success PMUY has encountered certain challenges.

  • Identifying Eligible Households – Due to lack of accurate data identifying deserving household was a major challenge.
  • Misuse of SECC Data – Unfortunately the scheme was misused as few affluent households were listed as BPL Households.
  • Awareness – Beneficiaries require more awareness about safely cooking on LPG, specially poor and illiterate background.
  • Strict Documentations – Because of strict KYC many deserving households were not included in the scheme.
  • Reach – Limited reach of LPG Distribution network posted serious challenges especially in disturbed areas.

This is all you need to know about the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana or PMUY Scheme launched by government of India specifically for women from below-poverty-level economic background.

How to Register and Apply for Ujjwala Yojana

Women can apply for the PMUY Online as well as offline. Applying online is easy and time saving. Follow the steps for applying online.

Step 1: Women can Apply Online by going here at https://pmuy.gov.in/ujjwala2.html

Step 2: After clicking on “Click Here”, an Online Application will appear.

Step 3: Choose anyone Company from the list and Click on “Click here to apply”

Step 4: In the Next Form enter your mobile number and OTP

Step 5: Select whether you are a migrant family

Step 6: Fill all the details, family, personal, address, bank details etc.

Step 7: Choose the cylinder type and whether you live in rural or urban area

Step 8: Select the declaration and submit the form

Step 9: Generate a reference number and visit nearest gas agency

Step 10: Your online process is complete

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By Advocate Meenu Padha and Varushi Yadav 

Introduction

It would not be wrong to argue that in India, the concept of human rights was first introduced and systematically institutionalised in 1950 when our country’s Constitution came into force. Many governmental programmes and methods have been created to supplement the rising acknowledgement of an individual’s rights, and the human rights movement has witnessed significant progress and success.

In India, the issue of reproductive rights remains uncertain. While the importance of both men and women’s rights to choose and control their own reproductive functions has grown in prominence, the concept’s introduction in India is particularly difficult due to the country’s complex social structures, where procreation is frequently seen as a social expectation and individual rights are often overlooked. Reproductive rights, in a broader sense, have received greater attention in recent years. This is due, in part, to the unwavering efforts of civil society organisations, who have emphasised the importance of international treaties in the Indian context.

Experts have pointed out that reproductive rights are an intrinsic aspect of human rights in general, as well as our Constitution on a national level, and that India owes them to all its women and those who identify as such. Reproductive rights and a larger human rights framework are mutually interdependent. Reproductive rights receive their meaning and force from long-recognized human rights, just as human rights cannot be realised without championing women’s reproductive rights. However, how the two are combined in practice is unclear. Indeed, explaining to an Indian audience that reproductive rights pertain to everyone, regardless of age or marital status, is a tough notion to grasp. It’s no surprise, then, that reproductive rights have yet to be fully established, despite the fact that they are an inalienable component of every human being.

Miserable Condition That We Need To Be Aware Of

In India, one woman dies every 15 minutes during pregnancy and childbirth due to lack of healthcare. Despite the fact that India legalised abortion over five decades ago, access is highly limited, and one woman in India is believed to die every three hours as a result of unsafe abortion. Despite national legislation prohibiting the marriage of girls under the age of 18, India continues to have the highest number of child weddings; and despite regulations and initiatives ensuring women’s maternal healthcare, India is responsible for 20% of all maternal deaths worldwide. Several states have established coercive population policies that bar families with more than two children from assistance programmes, government jobs, political engagement, and access to education and health care – all without ensuring that couples have access to a full range of contraceptive treatments.

Furthermore, Indian women face one of the world’s highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection and discrimination if infected, as well as forced abortions of female foetuses, trafficking for forced prostitution, custodial rape in government institutions, workplace sexual harassment, and harmful cultural practices that seriously undermine reproductive health. As numerous national and international stakeholders battle to give meaning to essential ideas such as women empowerment, rights, and choice, the right to reproductive health, including abortion, takes on special significance in the Indian context. A woman, for example, should have the freedom to choose whether or not she wants to marry, who she wants to marry, whether or not she wants to have children, how many children she wants to have, and the spacing between them. This is significant because, while both the male and female contribute to procreation, it is the female who is biologically responsible for ensuring the baby’ complete growth.

In the past, India’s reproductive health legislation and policies have failed to embrace a rights-based approach. Simply put, based on the various definitions of reproductive rights, they can be said to include some or all of the following rights: the right to safe and legal abortion; the right to control one’s reproductive functions; the right to access in order to make reproductive choices free of coercion, discrimination, and violence; and the right to access education about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. The need for us to recognise and address these as rights has become even more apparent in the midst of the pandemic when women have been left to suffer as a result of massive changes in family and social dynamics, disruption in peer support, and a lack of health facilities – because they have not been informed and empowered to demand what is due to them.

According to a new survey issued, over 139 million women and girls in India currently use contemporary contraception techniques. The progress made in family planning over the last eight years is detailed in a study issued by FP2020, a global collaboration that supports the reproductive rights of women and girls.

Reproductive Laws And Rights One Should Be Aware Of

In 2021, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Act 2021 was passed with certain amendments in the MTP Act including all women being allowed to seek safe abortion services on grounds of contraceptive failure, increase in gestation limit to 24 weeks for special categories of women, and opinion of one provider required up to 20 weeks of gestation. Abortion can be performed until 24 weeks of pregnancy after the MTP Amendment Act 2021 has come in force by notification in Gazette from 24th September 2021. The government’s public national health insurance funds, Ayushman Bharat and Employees’ State Insurance cover abortion completely, with the package rate for surgical abortion set at Rs 15,500 which includes consultation, therapy, hospital stays, medication, Ultrasonography, and any follow-up treatments. The package rate for medical abortion is Rs1,500 which includes consultation and Ultrasonography. 

Despite the fact that safe abortions are a state-mandated service, only around a quarter of abortions are performed at public health institutions. The majority of public health services in rural areas do not provide safe abortion services due to a lack of resources and equipment. Despite the fact that this law allows women to get safe abortions under specific circumstances, there are still a number of obstacles to overcome.

Covid 19 Impacts On Contraception And Safe Abortion Services

During COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) deemed contraception and safe abortion services to be essential health care. COVID-19, on the other hand, has increased the existing difficulties in obtaining these services. Abortion is a health care service that saves lives and protects the health and well-being of women and girls. Understanding how organizations have adapted their safe abortion care programmes to maintain service delivery while seeking to protect their clients, staff and communities from contracting COVID-19, is vital, Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on many aspects of our lives across the globe, reproductive health and family planning are no exception. Over the last 18 months, access to women’s health care services, including contraception, family planning and abortion, has been severely disrupted. As a result, an estimated two million women have experienced unwanted pregnancies. Furthermore, a survey conducted by the World Health Organization suggested a 68% disruption to family planning and contraceptive services across 105 countries.

Although still reeling from the effects of the sudden pandemic onset, the health system over the last year attempted to adapt to meet the growing need for effective women’s care and foster preparedness. One shining example of this was the sudden rise in the provision and adoption of online teleconsultations and digital resources. Availability and accessibility posed two critical components that needed strengthening in care delivery. With the advent of digitalization in the country, spearheaded by the government’s flagship Digital India initiative, we have advanced every day, reaching women from more remote and far-flung corners of rural India with digital platforms. Due to a decline in in-clinic consults, travel restrictions, and overburdened infrastructure and practitioners, Covid provided a significant obstacle to getting such treatment, adding to existing limits in women’s health — social stigma, misinformation, lack of understanding, and family pressures. The health system was forced to prioritize temporary contraceptives like condoms and the oral contraceptive pill above longer-term choices like intra-uterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs) and sterilization, especially during the first lockdown, which limited the basket of treatment options for women.

Conclusion

The social backdrop in India substantially influences women’s reproductive behaviour, defining the pressures, limits, and options available to them. Gender-biased norms and practices that regulate family matters severely limit women’s ability to exercise their reproductive rights. At a higher level, there are various apparent inconsistencies in how policies are made, services are offered, and how demographic trends and aspirations concerning family size and composition impact contraception and abortion demand. Despite the fact that India was one of the first countries in the world to adopt legal and regulatory frameworks ensuring access to abortion and contraception, women and girls still face major obstacles to fully exercising their reproductive rights – it is time to change that. Let us vow to support and steer reproductive rights on this Human Rights Day, not only because we want healthier women, but also because we want empowered women and girls.

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“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns which followed thereafter, has essentially led to several partners being quarantined at home. While this has been a wonderful time for cohabiting couples to connect with each other, several questions have been raised with regards to the safety of this intimacy.

Veering between social distancing and close cohabitation, many thousands of couples are rediscovering each other as cities and towns across the country go into lockdown. However, with this increased intimacy, many pharmacies as well as e-commerce sites have reported rising sales of condoms and contraceptive pills. While social media is abuzz with jokes and memes, some experts are concerned about the impact this could have on the sexual and reproductive health of women. During the initial days of the pandemic, the spike in sales of condoms and contraceptives were attributed to hoarding, dispelling the myth that couples were getting more intimate. Eventually, there was a marginal dip in sales but the lack of free movement of goods globally, has led to severe shortage of condoms and contraceptives. There is a real risk and grave threat that some of the supply chains are going to be broken and that there might be more stockouts and shortages in the months ahead.

According to a recent report by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the number of women unable to access contraception, experiencing unintended pregnancies and facing gender-based violence has skyrocketed as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

“This new data shows the catastrophic impact that COVID-19 could soon have on women and girls globally,” Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director said in a press release. “The pandemic is deepening inequalities, and millions more women and girls now risk losing the ability to plan their families and protect their bodies and their health.”

The data released by UNFPA, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, predicts that over 47 million women could lose access to contraception, resulting in 7 million unplanned pregnancies if the lockdown continues for six months.
The World Health Organization this month said two-thirds of 103 countries surveyed between mid-May and early July reported disruptions to family planning and contraception services.

Unintended pregnancies can occur among women of all incomes, educational levels, and ages. Negative outcomes associated with unintended pregnancy include delays in initiating prenatal care, reduced likelihood of breastfeeding and increased risk of maternal depression and parenting stress.
A surge in teen pregnancies was reported in Kenya, while some young women in Nairobi’s Kibera slum resorted to using broken glass, sticks and pens to try to abort pregnancies, said Diana Kihima with the Women Promotion Center. Two died of their injuries, while some can no longer conceive.
Due to limited availability of surgical abortion services, particularly in rural areas, and barriers on availability of medical abortion drugs at chemists, many women may be forced to resort to unsafe providers, risking their health and lives during the lockdown period.

In parts of West Africa, the provision of some contraceptives fell by nearly 50 percent compared to the same period last year, said the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
“I’ve never seen anything like this apart from countries in conflict,” said Diana Moreka, a coordinator of the MAMA Network that connects women and girls to care across 16 African countries. Calls have increased to their hotlines, including those launched since the pandemic began in Congo, Zambia and Cameroon. More than 20,000 women have called since January.

The Women’s Health forecast has published some alarming statistics: There has been a 10% drop in Reproductive Healthcare. 49 million more women do not access to contraception which could lead to 15 million more unintended pregnancies, 168000 more newborn deaths, 28,000 more maternal deaths and 3 million more unsafe abortions.

Family Planning efforts has been upended by the Coronavirus pandemic. Health experts fear irreparable harm has been done to India’s already struggling family planning efforts. Many women are no longer receiving potentially life-saving services that can help them make informed choices about delaying, preventing, and spacing pregnancies. V.S. Chandrashekar, Chief Executive Officer at the Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India (FRHS), said, “Live births may actually be higher since access to abortion is impacted during the lockdown. Women with unintended pregnancy may be forced to carry their pregnancy to term, since they may not have access to abortion care.”
In the Indian context, an analysis of HMIS data by Population Foundation of India shows that during the months of national lockdown last year between April and June, compared to the same period in 2019, there was a 27% drop in pregnant women receiving four or more ante-natal check-ups, a 28% decline in institutional deliveries and 22% decline in prenatal services.

The failure of the health system to cope with COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in maternal deaths and stillbirths, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health Journal. The impact on pregnancy outcomes high on poorer countries, says the study. Overall, there was a 28% increase in the odds of stillbirth, and the risk of mothers dying during pregnancy or childbirth increased by about one-third. There was also a rise in maternal depression, impacting the child’s health. COVID-19 impact on pregnancy outcomes was disproportionately high on poorer countries, according to the study published.

Many routine and elective services have already been postponed or suspended by both Government and private setups in most parts of the world because of the unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19. Healthcare systems everywhere in the world are under pressure. Being a component of essential health services, family planning and abortion services should continue to cater the population in order to prevent the complications arising from unintended pregnancies and sudden rise in STIs.

When health systems are overwhelmed, countries need to make difficult decisions to balance the demands of responding directly to COVID-19, while simultaneously engaging in strategic planning and coordinated action to maintain essential health service delivery. The provision of many services will become more challenging. Women’s choices and rights to sexual and reproductive health care, however, should be respected regardless of COVID-19 status.

While the lockdowns imposed across the globe due to the Covid-19 pandemic has caused immeasurable damage to mankind, the the differential impact it has had on the sexual and reproductive health of women needs immediate attention. The “Baby Boom” in the United States should be a gentle reminder of the potential problems which might arise if sufficient attention is not paid to the sexual and reproductive health of women. The coming year may well bring a baby boom few can afford, along with a dangerous increase in unsafe abortions. It’s high time the world took note and made necessary amends.

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