No more ‘free food’ in Parl canteens

HOUSE PANEL AGREES TO ABOLISHING SUBSIDY

Common men will soon miss a topic to make memes or jokes as Parliament of India will have food on its actual cost in future, which has been highly subsidised till now and always refers to as ‘free food’ just because of its dirt cheap rates. On suggestion of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, parliamentary business advisory committee on Thursday unanimously voted in favour of withdrawal of the subsidy on foods in Parliament canteens, a source close to the matter revealed.

In a parliamentary business advisory committee meeting on Thursday, which decides the bills, papers and reports and other subjects to be tabled in Parliament, unanimously decided to forego food subsidy of about Rs17 crore yearly for the food served in Parliament throughout the year.

During the last Lok Sabha, the subsidy was reduced heavily, which reflected in increased rates of food items served in Parliament canteens, but now the government has decided to abolish the subsidy for Parliament food service. These canteens have been managed by northern railway on a ‘no profit, no loss’ basis since 1968.

It is not the first time that the food subsidy issue is raised in Parliament. In 2015, then BJD MP B Jay Panda had written to the then Lok Sabha Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan, demanding to abolish the subsidy on food served in Parliament canteens. The so-called ‘free food’ in Parliament canteens has hit the headlines so many times before, as people always criticise the practice to serve food on such subsidised rates to MPs, who devour on taxpayers money. Though in fact, MPs hardly relish on these food and parliament canteens’ room reserved for MPs, always have deserted look.

Low attendance: Naidu pulls up MPs: Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday pulled up MPs of both Houses for their low attendance in parliamentary standing committees' meetings and urged the leaders of all political parties to ensure "quantitative and qualitative functioning" of these panels.

After holding a meeting with chairpersons of these panels in the morning,

Naidu said only 18 members each from both houses of Parliament attended eight Rajya Sabha committees’ meets since being reconstituted in September this year.

`193cr spent to renovate, repair bungalows of MPs in 4 yrs: The government has spent Rs193 crore to renovate and repair bungalows of MPs in the last four years, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.

In a written response to a question, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said there is no expenditure limit prescribed for such renovation and repair of residences of Members of Parliament by Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

“During the last three years and current year, an expenditure of Rs 193 crore has been incurred on renovation/repair of residences of Members of Parliament. Flat type-wise expenditure details are not maintained,” the minister said.