Sena alleges Centre’s bid to please State sugar lobby

NAGPUR, Oct 19: The ruling coalition partner of the State Government, the Shiv Sena strongly opposed the rise in issue price of levy sugar ...

NAGPUR, Oct 19: The ruling coalition partner of the State Government, the Shiv Sena strongly opposed the rise in issue price of levy sugar to Rs 11.40 and demanded that the price hike be reconsidered.

Informing this at a Press conference here on Friday, Kanhaiyyalal Gidwani, the senior Sena leader informed that he and the Sena Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha, Madhukar Sarpotdar met the Union minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Dr Raghuwansh Prasad Singh in Delhi a few days back and submitted a memorandum in support of their demand.He claimed that the Union

minister had assured them of reconsidering the recent hike in issue price of levy sugar and if there was any anomaly they would rectify it immediately.

Gidwani pointed out that the union government had increased the issue price twice this year on February 10 and September 18 by Rs 1.45 and 00.90 paise per kg respectively. “The present issue price actually gives a surplus to Government,” he said and alleged that the recent rise in issue prices of levy sugar were made to please the sugar lobby in the country.

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“We sincerely feel that this is against the basic policy of the United Front government of supplying essential products like foodgrains and sugar at subsidised prices under the Public Distribution System (PDS). The issue of supplying foodgrains (upto certain quantity per family) is at present under the Government’s active consideration. But at the same time the Government has totally withdrawn subsidy for supply of sugar under the PDS.

We feel this anomaly in government policy should be removed immediately by restoring earlier issue price of sugar. These revised issue prices of sugar are seriously affecting consumers.”