GUWAHATI, July 29 � Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) Assam State unit secretary Uddhav Barman, MLA has exhorted the Assam Government to follow the West Bengal model in providing relief to the common people against rise in the prices of essential items and transportation cost.
The West Bengal Government has taken a decision to extend a subsidy of Rs 110 crore to save the common people from the burden of enhanced bus fares. It has also decided to extend a subsidy of Rs 50 crore to prevent rise in the prices of kerosene, which is regarded to be the poor man�s fuel.
Barman said that the above decisions of the West Bengal Government were announced by its Finance Minister Ashim Dasgupta while replying to a debate on the demands for supplementary grants. The Minister said that the West Bengal Government was extending a total subsidy of Rs 160 crore to support the common man, Barman said.
The West Bengal Government has decided not to realize the additional sales tax of 32 paise per litre of diesel it is entitled to, after the hike in the prices of petroleum products. Instead, it has decided to extend a subsidy of Rs 1 per litre of diesel consumed by the buses, mini-buses and taxis of the State.
It is estimated that on a day each bus consumes 50 litre of diesel, on an average, while each of the taxis consumes 30 litre of diesel, on an average. The West Bengal Government will deposit Rs 1 against each litres of diesel consumed by each of these vehicles at the bank accounts of their owners.
In the light of the above, it may well be suggested that the Assam Government and the Governments of other states of the country may also go for such subsidies to check price rise and rising transportation cost, said the CPI-M State secretary.
