The government today said, parliamentary committees involved with granting whopping subsidies given to Parliament canteens serving MPs, should pay attention to the matter, and insisted that it alone was not responsible for a decision.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said a debate is “good” and some constructive solution will come out of it.
A debate is always good. Let there be a debate. Some constructive solution will come out of it. As a minister, I do not take decision on this alone. Parliament has a different system. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have their house committees and their members should pay attention to the matter.
– M Venkaiah Naidu, Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Naidu parried queries over whether his government would discontinue with the subsidy, and said it has been going on for long and was not something decided by the BJP government.
The Congress has backed a review of the huge subsidy being given to the canteens, and said a “course correction” is needed on the matter.
If you look at on the scale of subsidy being provided, I think there needs to be some course correction.
– Tom Vadakkan, Congress Spokesperson
Vadakkan also noted that subsidised canteens function in different ministries.
A RTI reply revealed that Parliament canteens got a total subsidy of Rs 60.7 crore during last five years with meals like ‘puri sabji’ being sold at 88 per cent subsidised rates.
The item list received under the Right to Information Act revealed that Parliamentarians, earning over Rs 1.4 lakh with perks, have been relishing ‘fish fried with chips’ at Rs 25, mutton cutlet at Rs 18, boiled vegetables at Rs 5, mutton curry with bone at Rs 20 and masala dosa at Rs 6 with rates subsidised by 63 per cent, 65 per cent, 83 per cent, 67 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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