VIPs misuse LPG subsidy, 91 cylinders for Mayawati in a year

New Delhi: The government says IOC, HPCL and BPCL will lose Rs 43,000 crore selling subsidised LPG cylinders and so the government is now looking to cap LPG cylinders per family at six. But the data of the LPG transparency portal reveals how India's ministers and MPs are misusing LPG subsidies.

Petroleum minister Jaipal Reddy may regret launching the brand new transparent LPG portal. The idea behind the portal is to remove pilferage and educate consumers on just how much subsidy they avail. But the data of just one gas distributor in Delhi is enough to embarrass the ministers, MPs and corporate India's who's who. The data reveals the ugly truth of the real beneficiaries of government subsidies.

As per data on the transparency portal:

- Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has a whopping 91 cylinders to her name costing the government Rs 31,318 in the past one year.

- Former DGP of Punjab KPS Gill availed 79 cylinders in the financial year 2012, costing the government Rs 27,189 in subsidies.

- Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur used 77 cylinders and ran up a tab of Rs 26,501.

- Incidentally, even jailed former telecom minister A Raja got 89 cylinders while he was in Tihar jail while former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan took home 60 cylinders.

- Cabinet ministers seemed to have used less gas. Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel used 41 cylinders while his party chief Sharad Pawar availed 31 cylinders. Law Minister Salman Khurshid used 34.

- BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has 35 cylinders to his name while fellow party man Venkiah Naidu has 33 cylinders.

- Corporate India is not far behind. Ranbaxy founder late Bhai Mohan Singh had 52 cylinders registered against his name last year while Bennet Coleman promoter Samir Jain got 39 cylinders. Bharti group chairman Sunil Mittal and his son Kavin both got 27 cylinders.

An embarrassed Oil Ministry was quick to issue a clarification which says, "Press reports, suggesting misuse of subsidy, based on number of LPG cylinders supplied as per consumption data from LPG transparency portal are factually incorrect. As per the current rules and regulations there is no limit on the number of cylinders consumed by any individual."

As per the rules, in Delhi one is eligible to apply for a refill only every 21 days so in a year that works to about 18 cylinders. So while the Oil ministry says no rules have been flouted, this is a sorry reflection of subsidy management.

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