The white paper presented by the UDF government in the Legislative Assembly is nothing more than a politically motivated and deceptive document. Its purpose is to undermine the development achievements and welfare initiatives of the previous government by presenting misleading figures. In fact, the white paper itself exposes the hollowness of the UDF's earlier claims.
Those who repeatedly alleged that the state's debt had reached โน6 lakh crore have now admitted, through the document tabled in the Assembly, that the actual debt stands at โน5.07 lakh crore. Similarly, their claim that more than โน1 lakh crore was pending as salary arrears for government employees has also collapsed. The white paper itself states that the total arrears amount to only โน48,733 crore.
By arguing that 77% of the state's revenue income is spent on interest payments and salaries, the government is seeking a pretext to retreat from welfare programmes and development activities. While lamenting that development expenditure is only 1.3% of the state's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), the government appears to be laying the groundwork for the privatisation of public sector institutions and the imposition of a heavy tax burden on the people.
Those who portray the โน21,000 crore liability of KIIFB as alarming conveniently ignore the schools, roads, and hospitals that have been built across the state through those investments. This white paper, which was prepared by involving external agencies and private individuals while bypassing the Finance Department, has no official credibility whatsoever.
Com. K. Radhakrishnan, MP
CPI(M) Central Committee Member
The Union Government has once again reduced the number of subsidised LPG cylinders provided under the Ujjwala Yojana scheme. The annual allocation has been cut from nine cylinders to four. The government has explained that the decision was made after taking into account changes in the average consumption of cylinders under the scheme.
Under the Ujjwala Yojana, economically disadvantaged women are provided with a free LPG connection, the first cylinder, and a stove. Subsidies are then provided for subsequent cylinder refills. Last year, the number of subsidised cylinders was reduced from 12 to nine per year. It has now been further cut to four. Critics argue that this is part of a phased attempt by the BJP government to gradually dismantle the scheme.
There are growing concerns that the ongoing conflicts in West Asia have led to an LPG supply crisis in the country. Citing these conflicts, the BJP government has significantly increased the price of domestic cooking gas cylinders. In this situation, the further reduction in the number of subsidised cylinders is likely to push economically weaker families into greater financial hardship. Earlier, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas had recommended increasing the subsidy amount provided under the Ujjwala Yojana. However, the government rejected the recommendation.
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