Common men will soon miss a topic to make memes or jokes as Parliament of India will have food on its actual cost in future, which was highly subsidized till now and always refers as 'free food' just because of its dirt cheap rates.
On suggestion of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Parliamentary business advisory committee, on Thursday, unanimously voted in favour of withdrawal of subsidy on foods in parliament canteens, a source close to the matter revealed.
In parliamentary business advisory committee meeting, which decides about the bills, papers & reports and other subjects to be tabled in parliament, unanimously decided to forego food subsidy of about Rs. 17 crores annually for food served in parliament throughout the year.
During last Lok Sabha the subsidy was reduced heavily which reflected in increased rates of food items served in parliament canteens, but now government has decided to abolish the subsidy system for parliament food service. The parliament canteens are managed by northern railways on 'no profit, no loss' basis since 1968.
It is not the first time that parliament food subsidy issue is raised. In 2015 then BJD MP B. Jay Panda wrote to then Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and demanded to abolish food subsidy of food served in parliament canteens. The so-called 'free food' in parliament canteens has emerged into the media scene so many times before as people always highly criticized the practice to serve food on such rates on taxpayers money. Though in reality, MPs hardly relish on the food and parliament canteens' room reserved for MPs always has a deserted look.
