Thiruvananthapuram: The Centre on Thursday said it will ‘look into’ a demand to raise the quota of subsidised LPG cylinders to 12 per household in a year from the current limit of nine, a day after the price of non-subsidised LPG was increased by a steep Rs 220.
“There is a request that the subsidised cylinders be increased from nine to 12...It came from several chief ministers,” finance minister P. Chidambaram told reporters here.
“I am not sure whether the petroleum ministry has actually operationalised the increase in price of non-subsidised cylinders. We will take a look both at the proposal (for a rollback in price) as well the demand from some quarters that nine subsidised cylinders should be increased to 12,” Chidambaram said.
The government had capped the supply of subsidised domestic LPG cylinders to six per household in a year in Sept. 2012.
The quota was raised to nine bottles per household a year in Jan. 2013.
Meanwhile, Union petroleum minister Veerappa Moily has said that there were no plans to hike the price of subsidised LPG cylinders.
Moily, while speaking to reporters in Delhi after a meeting with Union minister K.V. Thomas, said on Thursday that the centre would not withdraw the price hike of non-subsidised gas cylinders announced on Wednesday.
Moily said that the issues relating to the distribution of cylinders in the state would take two more days to solve.
The time limit for linking LPG connections with Aadhaar will be extended for two more months.
This would mean that the consumers in the state would continue to get the gas at the previous price of Rs 447.
However, those who have already linked their connections with Aadhaar would have to pay the entire price at the time of delivery.
The subsidy amount of Rs 849.50 will be credited to the bank account later, sources said.
Chief minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday had said that he had got an assurance from Moily on extending the time limit for linking LPG connections with Aadhaar.
Restaurants, Hotels down shutters today
Kochi: Over 1.25 lakh hotels and restaurants in the state will remain closed on Friday from dawn to dusk protesting against the steep hike in the price of commercial LPG cylinders.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) held here on Thursday.
“With the sharp increase in cooking gas price, a medium class restaurant using three cylinders per day will have to spend an additional Rs 1,200. The price of commercial cooking gas cylinder has been increased from Rs 1,798 to Rs 2,184. This is a token protest and if the price hike is not withdrawn, all hotels in the state will have to down shutters indefinitely,” said KHRA state secretary Jose Mohan.
