As govt cuts corners, politicians revel in subsidies
2 Aug 2013 12:01 AM GMT
Even as the UPA government steps up its task to shore up growth by cutting subsidies to fix the deficit, the Parliament House canteen in national Capital continues to serve subsidised food to the political class. The losses or subsidy endured by the State exchequer has jumped to over Rs 11 crore in the year 2011-2012 alone.
While aam aadmi remains overburdened with frequent price rise coupled with inflation, the Joint Parliamentary Committee hasn’t revised food prices in the canteen for about three years now. ‘The rate of items served in Parliament canteens were revised in 2003, 2009 and 2010,’ read a document issued out of Lok Sabha Secretariat in response to Right to Information Act request filed by Raman Sharma of Jammu. Since 2010, however, there has been no price rise as far as the Parliament canteens are concerned.
‘The northern railway is providing catering facility in parliament house on no profit no loss basis. The losses incurred, if any, are met from budget allocation (of) the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats in ratio (n) 2:1 (sic), it said.
The yearly financial details provide an insight into the losses mounting with each year apparently to serve food to lawmakers at dirt cheap rates. To begin with, the year 2000-01 reported loss or subsidy claim of Rs 2 crore just to operate the canteen. Consequently, the losses mounted in the successive years doubled, with the year 2006-07 recording a loss of Rs 4 crore. Two-years later, in 2009-10, the documents reveal that the losses jumped through the roof, to the tune of Rs 10 crore, and subsequently, breaching the Rs11-crore-mark in the following year.
Considering the enormous loss, a rough arithmetic indicates that the exchequer had to suffer a beating of Rs 90 lakh per month, which, upon further calibration, meant a loss of Rs 3.5 lakh per day. Further, as the response to the RTI query spelled out, the staffs of both the houses, as well as media officials and guests of parliamentarians are also entitled to avail the canteen’s implausibly subsidised catering services.
Evidently, this lends a clear impression about the losses incurred against food products at Parliament, the highest office of democracy. A comparative analysis of rates mentioned in its menu card indicates the food products at the canteen are sold for peanuts, at rates considerably lower than regular market prices.
For example, a chicken sandwich is sold at Rs 6. ‘This disparity indicates that there are two laws: one for the political class and the other for the electorate. On one hand, fuel subsidies are scrapped and the resultant burden is conveniently put on ordinary people, while Parliament canteen serves subsidised food to ruling class. This is completely against the democratic norms,’ said Raman Sharma, who had filed the RTI.
While aam aadmi remains overburdened with frequent price rise coupled with inflation, the Joint Parliamentary Committee hasn’t revised food prices in the canteen for about three years now. ‘The rate of items served in Parliament canteens were revised in 2003, 2009 and 2010,’ read a document issued out of Lok Sabha Secretariat in response to Right to Information Act request filed by Raman Sharma of Jammu. Since 2010, however, there has been no price rise as far as the Parliament canteens are concerned.
‘The northern railway is providing catering facility in parliament house on no profit no loss basis. The losses incurred, if any, are met from budget allocation (of) the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats in ratio (n) 2:1 (sic), it said.
The yearly financial details provide an insight into the losses mounting with each year apparently to serve food to lawmakers at dirt cheap rates. To begin with, the year 2000-01 reported loss or subsidy claim of Rs 2 crore just to operate the canteen. Consequently, the losses mounted in the successive years doubled, with the year 2006-07 recording a loss of Rs 4 crore. Two-years later, in 2009-10, the documents reveal that the losses jumped through the roof, to the tune of Rs 10 crore, and subsequently, breaching the Rs11-crore-mark in the following year.
Considering the enormous loss, a rough arithmetic indicates that the exchequer had to suffer a beating of Rs 90 lakh per month, which, upon further calibration, meant a loss of Rs 3.5 lakh per day. Further, as the response to the RTI query spelled out, the staffs of both the houses, as well as media officials and guests of parliamentarians are also entitled to avail the canteen’s implausibly subsidised catering services.
Evidently, this lends a clear impression about the losses incurred against food products at Parliament, the highest office of democracy. A comparative analysis of rates mentioned in its menu card indicates the food products at the canteen are sold for peanuts, at rates considerably lower than regular market prices.
For example, a chicken sandwich is sold at Rs 6. ‘This disparity indicates that there are two laws: one for the political class and the other for the electorate. On one hand, fuel subsidies are scrapped and the resultant burden is conveniently put on ordinary people, while Parliament canteen serves subsidised food to ruling class. This is completely against the democratic norms,’ said Raman Sharma, who had filed the RTI.
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