New Delhi:
Mouthwatering food at dirt cheap prices in Parliament may soon be a thing of past. Following a huge controversy on the matter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his floor leaders to consult the opposition and take a call on scrapping the subsidy, sources told NDTV.
The Congress has agreed to the removal of the subsidy, the sources said.
Lawmakers -- who earn Rs 1.4 lakh a month -- enjoy a goodly spread at the Parliament canteen, where prices range from Rs 6 for a masala dosa, Rs 20 for mutton curry, vegetable stew for Rs 4, rice for Rs 4 and a dish of mutton biriyani for Rs 41.
The prices - which were revised last in December 2010 - became a matter of controversy after an RTI query revealed last month that the canteen got a subsidy of Rs 60.7 crore over the last five years. Calling it a mark of undeserved privilege, the civil society and a section of politicians have since said the subsidy should go.
The demands became even more raucous in view of PM Modi's call to the people to give up subsidy for cooking gas if they could afford it.
Last week, Jay Panda, a lawmaker from the Biju Janata Dal, shot off a letter to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's office, asking that the subsidy be removed to ensure "greater public trust and confidence" in the lawmakers.
"The recent efforts by the government to encourage the voluntary giving up of the subsidised cooking gas by those citizens who can afford it, is laudable... In appreciating this logic, I believe that we MPs too should be willing to give up the food subsidy extended to us," Mr Panda wrote.
At the all-party meet convened on Monday ahead of the monsoon session, Ms Mahajan pointed out that it was not just the lawmakers who were reaping the benefits.
The media, guests who visit Parliament and the Parliament staff also ate at the canteen, she said. It was important to consult all the stakeholders before a decision was taken to scrap the subsidy, which will raise prices.