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The reduction in sales implies that Auxílio Gás is not primarily intended for the purchase of gas cylinders. Check out more information!
Created in 2021, Auxílio Gás Nacional was intended to ease the impact of cooking gas costs on the budgets of low-income families. The benefit, equal to the full price of a 13 kg cylinder set by the Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP), is paid every two months.
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However, data from ANP show a 1.13% decrease in the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Brazilian households over the last year. According to the Sindicato das Empresas Distribuidoras de GLP (Sindigás), this decline in sales indicates that Auxílio Gás has served more to meet basic needs, such as food, than to purchase gas cylinders.
Lack of guidelines for the use of Auxílio Gás
For Sergio Bandeira de Mello, president of Sindigás, although Auxílio Gás is vital, depositing the amount into a social savings account without specifying a particular purpose does not solve the lack of gas among low-income families, allowing it to be used for other purposes.
Sergio claims that the Federal Government should direct the National Gas Aid specifically toward the purchase of gas cylinders. Therefore, the sector advocates consolidating the purpose of the benefit to alleviate energy poverty in Brazil.
Adoption of firewood
Sergio emphasizes that, due to the lack of a specific purpose for the Gas Aid, vulnerable families prefer to continue using firewood instead of buying a gas cylinder, allowing the money to be redirected toward food.
Read also: Check whether 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, including acute respiratory infection, chronic bronchitis, and tuberculosis, which are highly harmful to health.
