The state government on Tuesday decided to give three additional gas cylinders at subsidised price to Below Poverty Line beneficiaries of the “Deepam” scheme.
Though the civil supplies minister, D. Sridhar Babu, described this as a “Dasara” gift to the poor, the decision has left more than 1 crore LPG consumers in the lurch who will have to pay Rs 955 for every cylinder after the sixth subsidised one.
Significantly, the government acted on the advice of UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, to the CMs of Congress-ruled states to lessen the burden of LPG customers in their states by subsidising three more cylinders.
“Three additional cylinders will be made available only to 40 lakh Deepam beneficiaries and the government will have to bear an additional burden of Rs 634 crore,” Babu said.