Parliamentary Committee against hike in Parliament canteen rates

NEW DELHI: Unfazed by the row over subsidised foods in Parliament canteens, a parliamentary committee today decided against raising the rates, saying it would mostly affect Parliament employees.

The committee headed by TRS leader A P Jithender Reddy unanimously decided to recommend continuation of the subsidy and against any upward revision in the rates of the food items.

Any hike in the rate would mostly affect the Parliament employees who make up for a majority of those having their food in the canteens, he said.

He said the committee has found that those availing the canteen facility the most are class four employees of Parliament as also representatives of the media who cover the proceedings.

He also said that if Parliament employees and media representatives are asked to bring food from home, it would create another security problem due to thousands of lunch boxes.

The MPs, he said, have to eat in the canteen many times because they cannot go home as their presence is necessary in Parliament.

Besides, he said in the inter-session period, a minuscule minority of MPs eat in Parliament.

He said the effort in the canteen was to provide hygienic food at affordable prices.