Ahead of the festival of Diwali, the Government of Gujarat today announced a cut of 10 percent in the Value Added Tax (VAT) levied on CNG and PNG. State government spokesperson Jitu Vaghani said that the citizens including the women will get a relief of around Rs 1 thousand crore thanks to this decision.

The state government today also announced its decision to give two cylinders at free cost per year under Ujjwala Yojana. The decision is made in view of 38 lakh women beneficiaries in the State, he said.

He said that a relief of total Rs 650 crore will be given for the gas cylinders. There will be a relief of Rs 6 to 7 per kg in CNG due to the 10 percent decrease in VAT in CNG. Similarly, there will be a relief of Rs 5 to 5.5 per kg in PNG. Total 2 gas cylinders will be given at free cost in a year under Ujjawala Yojana. The amount of the cylinder will be directly deposited in the bank accounts.