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Personal wealth of Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and his wife has increased by over Rs 14 lakh to Rs 1.21 crore in 2015-16 on back of higher cash and bank balance.
According to the declaration of assets and liabilities for 2015-16 posted on the PMO website, Paswan and his wife's total personal wealth, including movable and immovable assets, stood at over Rs 1.21 crore in 2015-16 as against about Rs 1.07 crore in the previous year.
Out of Rs 1.21 crore wealth, Paswan held assets worth over Rs 52 lakh and his wife the rest Rs 69.56 lakh.
According to the declaration, Paswan's deposits/FDs in two bank accounts increased to Rs 30.50 lakh in 2015-16 from Rs 24.58 lakh in the previous year. His wife's deposits rose to Rs 34.11 lakh from Rs 26.92 lakh in the said period.
The minister's cash in hand fell to Rs 50,000 from Rs 56,000, but his wife's jumped to Rs 78,500 from Rs 43,000 in the same period.
In the case of immovable property, LJP chief Paswan — a key ally of the NDA government — owns 15 acres of agri-land in Khagaria district of Bihar. The valuation of the agri-land has remained unchanged at Rs 15 lakh in the previous financial.
The minister also owns a 2,432-sq ft flat in Patna worth Rs 6,00,000 while his wife has a 4,500-sq ft house in Mehrauli, Delhi, valuing Rs 7,00,000. The value of these two properties has not increased in 2015-16.
Paswan's wife holds 700 grams gold jewellery worth Rs 20.30 lakh which she had inherited from her mother-in-law. There is no change in the value of the gold in the period under the review.
She also has a proprietorship firm named C N Enterprises, the valuation of which has increased to Rs 7,35,689 in 2015-16, from Rs 6,50,000 in 2014-15. She also owns a petrol pump in Delhi.
Paswan is a senior Cabinet minister holding food, public distribution and consumer affairs portfolio in the NDA government led by Narendra Modi.
His ministry is responsible for implementation of the landmark National Food Security Act, under which highly subsidised foodgrains are supplied via ration shops to the poorest of poor. He is also responsible for ensuring availability of essential commodities at a reasonable price.
