Mutton curry for Rs 20, veg stew for Rs 4 in Parliament canteens, where subsidies run as high as 90%

Members of Parliament, who earn as much as Rs 1.4 lakh a month with perks, pay a pittance for meals

A RTI query has revealed that Parliamentarians, earning over Rs 1.4 lakh with perks, are relishing items like 'fish fried with chips' at Rs 25, mutton cutlet at Rs 18, vegetables at Rs 5, mutton curry with bone at Rs 20 and masala dosa at Rs 6 at subsidised rates of 63%, 65%, 83%, 67% and 75% respectively.

Parliament canteens serving to Members of Parliament got a total subsidy of Rs 60.7 crore during last five years with items like 'puri sabji' being sold at 88% subsidised rates, the reply shows.

The cost for procuring raw items of dish like vegetable stew comes to about Rs 41.25 while the MPs are getting it for Rs 4, which is a subsidy of about 90%.

For the non-veg meal, raw items are procured at Rs 99.05 while the prepared dish is served at Rs 33 to MPs with 66% subsidy, the reply provided to RTI activist Subhash Agrawal shows, adding that the present rates of dishes have not been revised from December 20, 2010.

'Papad' costs Rs 1.98 but is sold at Rs 1 in these canteens with a subsidy of almost 50%.

The RTI response shows that the canteens in Parliament serve 76 mouth watering dishes ranging from the simple boiled egg to various mutton and chicken dishes, which have been subsidised from over 150% to about 63%.

The only item which is sold for a marginal profit is 'roti' for which raw items cost 77 paisa while it is sold at Rs 1, while 'khomani ka meetha' is being served at market price of Rs 15 for three pieces.

The canteens which are being run by Norther Railway procure raw items from government-run agencies like Kendriya Bhandar, Mother Dairy and DMS etc.

The reply shows that canteens received a subsidy of Rs 10.4 crore, 11.7 crore, 11.9 crore, 12.5 crore and 14 crore during the years 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14 respectively, which totals to around Rs 60.7 crore.