Sanjay Kumar- village Nawthnava, Maharajgunj, UP Sanjay Kumar primarily reports on issues related to caste and education. Sanjay Kumar has been a committed social activist since he was a child. When he was young, he excelled in school and resisted the discrimination that he faced as a lower caste schoolboy. Unfortunately, caste issues affected him beyond the educational system when…

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Since February 2021, petrol, diesel and LPG prices are constantly rising. This has led to rural women, who were provided with a LPG gas cylinger under the 'Ujjwala' scheme, go back to cooking under traditional stoves using wood as a fuel as they are unable to afford refills.

Our Community Correspondent Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal reports from Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh on this issue but this could be prevalent in many other states of India. "Gas prices have risen by more than Rs. 125 ($1.71) since February and I have gone back to my old stove," said Kaula Devi from Manihawa village in Uttar Pradesh.

The women say that if the price increase is rolled back they'll go back to the LPG gas cylinders. Gas cylinders disbursed under the Ujjwala scheme are subsidized by the government. However, an increase in prices has led women to go back to the traditional ways of cooking that leads to several respiratory issues.