Key points:
- Subsidy on food at Parliament canteen removed, prices to be hiked.
- Lok Sabha speaker also added that from now on India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) will handle canteens in the Parliament in place of Northern Railways.
The subsidy on Parliament’s canteen food served to Members of Parliament (MP)s and others has been stopped, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said on Tuesday.
He also added that from now India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) will handle canteens in the Parliament in place of Northern Railways.
With the subsidy coming to an end, the Lok Sabha secretariat can annually save more than Rs 8 crore, PTI reported citing sources.
From now the food in the Parliament canteen will be sold at their actual cost. The canteen had food priced at a very low cost with Hyderabadi chicken biryani sold at Rs 65 being the highest priced food item.
In 2015, there was a hue and cry after it came to light that food at the Parliament canteen was being subsidised up to 80%.
While addressing the media, Birla also said that all Members of Parliament will be requested to undergo the COVID-19 test before the start of the Budget session.
He said all arrangements have been made for RTPCR COVID-19 tests of MPs near their residence.
The Rajya Sabha will sit from 9 am to 2 pm while the Lok Sabha will carry out its business in the second half from 4 to 8 pm. The Question Hour will be allowed during the session for an already fixed time of one hour.
