Parliament canteen's subsidy ends; non-veg buffet now costs Rs. 700
What's the story
Ahead of the Budget Session, the Parliament has ended subsidies on the food in the canteen. Food in the Parliament canteen has been a contentious subject for many years as the menu offered meals at throwaway prices.
According to the new menu announced this week, most items will now be sold at par with market rates.
Here are more details.
New rates
Rotis at Rs. 3; veg meal at Rs. 100
The Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani, which used to cost Rs. 65, will now be priced at Rs. 150.
A roti will be priced at Rs. 3, samosa at Rs. 10, dal tadka at Rs. 20, khichdi with achaar at Rs. 50, a vegetarian meal at Rs. 100.
A vegetarian buffet and a non-vegetarian buffet cost Rs. 500 and Rs. 700 respectively.
Recent news
Lok Sabha Speaker announced ending subsidy last week
Last week, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had announced that the subsidy on food served at Parliament canteen would end soon.
However, Birla had not specified the financial implications of the move. Citing sources, PTI had reported that the Lok Sabha Secretariat will annually save over Rs. 8 crore.
The new rates will come into effect from January 29 when Parliament's Budget Session starts.
Information
India Tourism Development Corporation will now run canteen
Speaking to reporters about the upcoming Parliament session, Birla had also said that the canteens will now be run by the India Tourism Development Corporation or ITDC instead of the Northern Railways.
History
Talk about ending subsidy has continued for years
Since at least 2016, several circulars had been issued and there was talk about the canteen subsidy ending.
However, previous moves to end the subsidy only invited modest revisions at best.
The latest such move was in 2019 when Bharatiya Janata Party MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy had announced that lawmakers had unanimously agreed to give up the canteen subsidy.