National Conference president and Member Parliament Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday censured the incumbent governor administration’s move to end disbursement of subsidized sugar to state’s poor consumers.The statement by Farooq comes a couple of days after GNS reported that no budgetary provisions have been kept for the purchase of sugar by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs and from next year, the department would not be supplying even to BPL and AAY categories.Farooq Abdullah while expressing his dismay over withdrawing sugar subsidy said that it will adversely affect the poor and have not’s. “It is an anti-people move and will put an extra burden on daily wagers and economically challenged the class of our society. The PDP-BJP government soon after it came to power took no time to do away with the subsidy on rice and cooking gas. An APL consumer had to pay less than Rs 1000 per quintal but after the subsidy was removed by the then BJP-PDP government, consumers are paying Rs 1500 per quintal,” he said.Farooq said that in view of the move to do away with the subsidy on sugar, salaried class people will be severely affected by adding the burden of expenditure on them. “People are already paying heavily for cooking gas and rice. The food bill that was introduced into our state during BJP-PDP regime has already hit the consumers very hard. The subsidy on cooking gas also stands withdrawn,” he said.
He maintained that the conflict situation has already put people under duress and that the small business has already received a bolt. “This anti-people move of doing away with the subsidy on sugar will affect more than seventy lac consumers,” he said.“It is highly unfortunate that the quota of kerosene oil that the state used to receive has already been dwindled down. The state now receives a nominal supply,” he added.Dr Farooq asserted that the Naya Kashmir manifesto espoused a socialistic pattern of society. “It is the prime duty of government to lend a helping hand to the poor sections of the society by giving subsidized commodities to ensure people a strain-free life,” he said adding, “It was during our times that subsidized Apna stores were established throughout the state. We at the national conference strongly feel that such a move will push the already aggrieved and aggravated people to the wall.”He said while censuring the governor administration of not halting anti-people moves said, “I impress upon the governor administration to roll back the move of ending the subsidy. Such a move will hurt the people especially poor,” he said. (GNS)