At a time when the government is intent on pruning wasteful subsidies, Parliament canteens in Delhi received a total subsidy of Rs 60.7 crore over the last five years making it possible to price food items at rock bottom rates even as food inflation has soared for the common man.
According to a RTI filed by activist S C Agrawal food is sold at one-tenth the cost with a three course lunch available for Rs 61 when it cost the exchequer Rs 138.29 and Hyderabadi mutton biryani was sold at Rs 50 while it cost the government Rs 92.73.
The response revealed parliamentarians who earn over Rs 1.4 lakh with perks, enjoy `fish fried with chips' at Rs 25, mutton cutlet at Rs 18, boiled vegetables at Rs 5, mutton curry at Rs 20 and masala dosa at Rs 6 with rates subsidized by over 60%.
In other cases the subsidy quotient is even higher. The cost for procuring raw items for dishes like stew vegetables comes to about Rs 41.25 while the MPs are getting it for Rs 4 which is a subsidy of about 90%. The only item which is sold for a marginal profit is 'roti' for which raw items cost 77 paisa while it is sold at Re 1.
'Khomani ka meetha' too is being served at market price of Rs 15 for piece of three.
Predictably , social media was abuzz with people demanding a slash in subsidies being given to MPs.
The canteens which are being run by Northern Railway procure raw items from government-run agencies like Kendriya Bhandar, Mother Dairy and DMS.
The reply shows that canteens received a subsidy of Rs 10.4 crore, Rs 11.7 crore, Rs 11.9 crore, Rs 12.5 crore and Rs 14 crore during the years 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 201314 respectively which totals to around Rs 60.7 crore.
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