New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday announced it would raise the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders from six to nine in its states (Delhi, Maharashtra, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Mizoram and Meghalaya) and added that it would put pressure on other states to follow the line.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was the first to raise the cap on the LPG cylinders from six to nine for the poor families, announcing that the government would make available three cylinders in addition to the six already provided by the Centre.
Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi announced the development at a press briefing in the capital.
Meanwhile, Oil Ministry sources added that the excise duty on diesel price may be removed.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was left 17 short of the halfway mark in Parliament after key ally the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday withdrew support from the government saying that her ministers in the Cabinet would resign on Friday. The bone of contention was the slew of measures introduced by the government to put the economy back on track. These included 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, a hike in diesel prices to deal with the fiscal deficit and a cap on subsidised LPG cylinders.
Mamata slammed the measures as anti-poor. The Opposition announced a nationwide bandh on September 20.
The Centre, however, stood firm and clearly said that there would be no rollback on the crucial FDI in multi-brand retail.
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