Considering the rise in prices of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, which are hurting consumers and hoping to hit the right cord with the middle class and lower middle class, political parties subsidize voters on refills Has promised. The 14.2 kg gas domestic cylinder in Chennai is sold on Chennai 835 (on 1 March), and the price varies according to the bottling plant. The subsidy is a ₹ 25 cylinder.
DMK has promised to deliver K 100 per cylinder. There are more than 2.20 crore LPG connections in the state. If two crore consumers get ₹ 100 per cylinder per month, then its amount is ₹ 200 crore. Apart from subsidizing LPG cylinders, DMK has promised to bring down the prices of petrol and diesel, which means the state’s revenue is drastically reduced.
The same goes with AIADMK’s promise of six free cylinders a year. With a base price of 800 per cylinder and 2 crore family cards, it will cost ₹ 1,600 crore every two months. In its manifesto released on Sunday, the party announced that it would take steps to increase the amount of subsidized diesel and kerosene to mechanized and country-craft fishermen.
An oil industry expert said that the situation was so bad after COVID-19 that even the center was not able to increase the subsidy. “They are gradually reducing subsidies and government intervention in many areas. In such a situation, these promises do not take into account the financial well-being of the state, ”he said.
A former IAS officer and said that they would only lead the state to a financial mess from where it cannot be recovered. “We are now a power surplus state. These promises, if implemented, will take us into a situation in which we will not be able to pay our electricity dues and we will be pushed back into the dark ages, ”he said. Another former official said that this could cut down on capital expenditure and affect basic services such as drinking water supply.
However, another former official said that parties making such promises should know where to raise funds. “Potential avenues would be to increase the prices of liquor and municipal taxes. Since the state already has good infrastructure, it will not have to cut anything. It is simply a question of survival.
Former IAS officer MG Devasahayam recalled how even in 2016, both parties had announced several freebies. “Some of us former officials gave a strong letter to the Election Commission saying that it has violated the Model Code of Conduct. The commission asked the parties to justify their promises financially, which they could not do. The current promises, too, are a violation of the code, ”he said.
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