oppn parties LPG Subsidy to MP's is Just Loose Change

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
LPG Subsidy to MP's is Just Loose Change

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2015-01-15 16:13:55

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan is writing to all MPâ€â"¢s, as well as some state CMâ€â"¢s, to ask them to surrender their subsidized LPG connections and buy the cylinders at market rates. This, he says, will help in cutting the government subsidy bill. If we were to assume that all 543 Lok Sabha and 245 Rajya Sabha MPâ€â"¢s, as also the CMâ€â"¢s of 29 states, give up their subsidized connections, the nation will save Rs. 33 lakh per year in subsidies at current rates. (This has been calculated as 817 persons foregoing Rs 330 per cylinder for 12 subsidized cylinders in a year).

This amount is just loose change when compared with the perks being enjoyed by the MPâ€â"¢s. A look at the table alongside will give a general idea.

ctc-mp-india Source: Be Money Aware Blog

If just the electricity subsidy given to the MPâ€â"¢s is withdrawn, the nation will save Rs 31.5 crore, which is nearly 10 times more than what will be saved if the MPâ€â"¢s give up subsidized LPG connections. Please keep in mind that all the perks given to MPâ€â"¢s are tax free. In addition to these, they also have subsidized canteen facilities in Parliament, pick up and drop from Parliament to place of residence at just Rs 5 per trip, Rs 4 lakh loan at negligible rate of interest to buy a vehicle and grant to buy computers which they can keep after their term is over. You can read the full list at http://164.100.47.134/New_Events_LS/writereaddate/English%20FACILITIES64p.pdf

Hence, as an exercise in reducing subsidies, this is just a gimmick to grab headlines. But such gimmicks have a purpose. If the government manages to persuade the MPâ€â"¢s to give up the subsidized connections, it will set an example. Then, the government can similarly persuade high ranking officials and private individuals having incomes above a certain level. If we believe that corruption flows from top down, then we also have to believe that good social habits will also flow likewise.