BHUBANESWAR: The women's wing of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today sought the intervention of the President of India to impress on the Centre to roll back the decision for withdrawal of subsidy on LPG and increase in the price of LPG cylinders which has affected the poor people. The Biju Mahila Janata Dal (BMJD) has threatened to launch a statewide agitation unless the decision is withdrawn.
Activists of the BMJD demonstrated in front of the Raj Bhavan here and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India in this regard. The BMJD will hold demonstrations in front of the office of all district collectors on August 8 to demand the withdrawal of the Centre's decision.
Referring to the decision of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry to hike LPG price by `4 per cylinder every month starting from July 1, 2017 to withdraw subsidy by March 2018, the memorandum said it will affect all consumers.
Under the Ujjala scheme, around 14.5 lakh families in Odisha have been provided LPG connection, the memorandum said and added that with the Centre's decision to withdraw subsidy many families will not be able to purchase cooking at market price. Beneficiaries of Ujjala scheme will immensely suffer due to the hike in the price of LPG cylinder after the withdrawal of subsidy, it said.
The state government has abolished VAT on domestic LPG since June 28, 2011. However, the price of LPG cylinder has increased after imposition of 5 percent GST, the memorandum said and alleged that the Centre has increased basic excise duty, additional excise duty on petrol and diesel by more than 100 percent and 200 percent for which the benefit of low international price has not reached the consumers.
"The Centre on the pretext of welfare activities is putting an extra burden on women LPG consumers by the withdrawal of subsidy which is against the basic principles of the welfare state," President of BMJD Pramila Mallik said.
Among others, finance minister Sashi Bhusan Behera, minister for planning and convergence Usha Devi, minister of state for handlooms, textiles and handicrafts Snehangini Chhuria, BJD MLAs Rasheswari Panigrahi, Bijay Kumar Mohanty and Priyadarshi Mishra and mayor of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Anant Narayan Jena participated in the demonstration.