ABSTRACT
Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) on May 1, 2016. Through this scheme, the government aims to provide LPG connections to below poverty line (BPL) households in the country. Ten thousand new LPG distribution centres had to be opened in locations for almost every citizen in each of the 6.4 lakh villages to reach a distributor within 10–15 km of his/her residence. The chapter discusses the data science–based approach for deciding the ideal locations for the new distribution centres.
The data of the currently operating LPG centres was put on a map, along with other relevant criteria such as population, LPG penetration, and income levels. Then access was made the primary factor for deciding new centre locations. The government’s approach was not based on market potential but on opening centres in the vast blank of the nation’s geography where people do not have access to LPG and thus have to resort to other fuels for cooking.
