Indians spent Rs 60.7 crore so MPs could enjoy dosas for Rs 6, fish fry for Rs 25

Crisp fish fry with chips at Rs 25, mouth watering mutton curry for Rs 20, mutton cutlet for Rs 18, a crunchy masala dosa for Rs 6 and boiled vegetables for as little as Rs 5; courtesy the subsidy provided by the government

New Delhi: Crisp fish fry with chips at Rs 25, mouth watering mutton curry for Rs 20, mutton cutlet for Rs 18, a crunchy masala dosa for Rs 6 and boiled vegetables for as little as Rs 5. The rates can make one salivate as much as the dishes.

At a time when soaring prices of meat, fish and vegetables may make these lip smacking dishes disappear from the common man's plates, Parliamentarians earning on an average Rs 1.4 lakh with perks, are savouring these for a pittance, courtesy the subsidy provided by the government.

According to an item list received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, while fish fry with chips is subsidised by 63 per cent, the figure for mutton curry is 67 per cent, cutlet 65 per cent, boiled vegetables 83 per cent and masala dosa 75 per cent.

The cost of procuring raw items for a dish of stewed vegetables comes to about Rs 41.25, while the MPs are getting it for Rs 4 at a subsidy of about 90 per cent. For the non-veg meal, raw items are procured for Rs 99.05, while the prepared dish is served at Rs 33 to MPs with 66 per cent subsidy, the reply provided to RTI activist Subhash Agrawal shows.

The rates were last revised on December 20, 2010. The RTI response shows the Parliament canteens serve 76 dishes ranging from simple boiled egg to various mutton and chicken preparations that are subsidised anywhere between 63 and 150 per cent.

The only item which is sold for a marginal profit is the humble 'roti' at Re one a piece for which the raw item costs 77 paisa.

The canteens, which are run by the Northern Railway, procure raw items from government-run agencies like Kendriya Bhandar, Mother Dairy etc. The reply says the canteens received a subsidy of Rs
10.4 crore, 11.7 crore, 11.9 crore, 12.5 crore and 14 crore in 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14 respectively, totalling around Rs 60.7 crore.

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