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The reduction in sales implies that the Gas Aid is not primarily aimed at purchasing gas cylinders. Check out more information!
Created in 2021, the National Gas Aid aimed to soften the impact of the cost of cooking gas on the budgets of low-income families. The benefit, equal to the full price of a 13kg cylinder set by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), is paid bimonthly.
However, data from ANP shows a drop of 1.13% in the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Brazilian homes last year. According to the Union of LPG Distribution Companies (Sindigás), this decrease in sales indicates that the Gas Aid has been used more to meet basic needs, such as food, than to purchase cylinders.
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Lack of guidelines for the use of Gas Aid
For Sergio Bandeira de Mello, president of Sindigás, even though the Gas Aid is vital, depositing the amount in a social savings account without determining a specific purpose does not solve the lack of gas in low-income families, allowing for misuse of the funds.
Sergio claims that the Federal Government should direct the National Gas Aid specifically to the purchase of gas cylinders. Therefore, the sector advocates the consolidation of the benefit's purpose to alleviate energy poverty in Brazil.
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Adoption of firewood
Sergio emphasizes that, due to the lack of a specific objective for the Gas Aid, vulnerable families prefer to continue using firewood instead of buying a gas cylinder, allowing the money to be redirected to food.
Read also: Check if you were approved for Bolsa Família 2023. Learn how to check.
According to the union leader, firewood poses various risks, such as burns and chronic diseases, such as acute respiratory infections, chronic bronchitis and tuberculosis, which are highly harmful to health.
