Hike in Petro Products !
Last week, the oil companies
have hiked the princes of diesel by Rs. 5.63 and premium petrol by Rs. 6.36
respectively besides putting a limit of six cylinders per year for all the
families at the subsidised rates. They have also spelled out clearly that the
additional cylinders can be purchased by them, but at the market price, which
currently works out to Rs. 746 /- in Delhi. All the three oil companies
have attributed these hikes to their under recoveries in all these items and
depreciating value of Indian Rupee as compared to US Dollar, as originally these
petroleum products are purchased in US Dollars and not in Indian Rupees.
It may be mentioned here that this is not the first
time that the Central Govt. has hiked the prices of these items; rather they
have done so for more than 30 times, since the UPA Govt. took over the reigns of
the governance, and these hikes are really making the lives of the common people
miserable. Not only that, the prices of so many other essential commodities of
daily use have already touched the zenith and the ordinary man is being squeezed
of his worth so quickly (particularly during the last three years) that he
is hardly able to spare even a few thousand rupees to meet his emergency
expenses. On the other hand, some of the leading newspapers also bring reports
that the net-worth of majority of the leaders is galloping at such a high pace
that it gets doubled just in 18 to 24 months. Let us now examine as to how the
common man is being robbed of his valuable and limited pennies in the scenario
of galloping inflation and whereas, the leaders are rolling in riches with their
net worth going on to increase at the sky rocketing speed.
For the last couple of years, particularly since the
UPA Government came to power at centre, so many scams have surfaced. For example
– Stamp Paper Scam – Rs. 4,000 crores, 2G spectrum Scam – Rs. 1,76,000 crores,
CWG Scam – Rs. 80,000 crores, Adarsh Housing Scam of Mumbai, Iron Ore mining
scam of Karnataka, Coalgate Scam for allotment of coal mines – Rs. 1,86,000
crores and now one more scam, namely Granite Mining Scam in Tamil Nadu has also
come to light, which has been tentatively pegged at causing a loss of Rs. 16,000
crores, but the investigators reveal that it is likely to touch even Rs. 1.00
lakh crore. It may be mentioned here that most of above mentioned scams have
been investigated by The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which is a
constitutional authority, and the figures relating to the losses caused by these
scams and frauds etc. have also been arrived at by it and these should not be
disputed or questioned.
It means that such a huge amount of money which could
have otherwise come into the national exchequer, and thereafter could have been
utilised for the creation of lakhs of jobs for our youth (and thus, making their
lives economically quite better off) and it could also have easily enabled the
government to achieve a growth rate of more than 10%. But, this just could not
happen, because lakh crores of funds instead of going into the national
exchequer, have been very cleverly and stealthily siphoned off by the scamsters
and might have either gone to their personal accounts or got deposited in far
off in their foreign banks. As a result of it, the common man is being
continuously being cheated of his share in the national prosperity by the
plunderers of national wealth, as he is being forced to pay the much higher
prices of the essential items which are never heard off, and the country is also
lagging far behind its expected growth rate, as far as progress and prosperity
index is concerned.
It is really a matter of huge concern and grief (and
national shame as well) that hardly any efforts are being made for bringing the
systematic plunderers of national wealth to justice, recover the huge funds from
those economic fraudsters and scamsters. The govt. is continuously dragging its
feet from taking some strong punitive action against them, as even the names of
some leaders / ministers (both at Centre ans some States as well) also appear in
the list of the beneficiaries of such scams and fradus. But, as the saying goes,
the law should be applied equal to all, and as such, it becomes very much
imperative for the Govt. to let the law prevail upon every thing else, and take
remedial and punitive action on the wrong doers of huge amounts of national
wealth, put them to their much deserving places - behind the bars. By doing so,
not only many other such perverted minds shall also get a lesson to abstain from
the lure of corruption and frauds etc., but the prices of these petro products
could also be curtailed and maintained at the current level for many years to
come, because huge funds to the tune of lakhs of crores can be thus, utilised to
provide these petro products at the subsidised rates to well deserving poor
families spread across the length and breadth of India.
Along with announcing of the upwardly revised prices
of the petro products, the Central Government, has also announced its decision
of allowing FDI in multi-brand retail business upto 49 %, which is not only
going to hit lakhs of local retail businessmen, but also the crores of ordinary
consumers miserably, as big business houses who are going to set-up their
businesses here, shall not and can not sell their goods / products at the rates
which can be otherwise made available by the local and small shop-keepers, which
is very much required for crores of poor people because their earnings are
limited. Hence, this decision of the government is certainly going jeopardise
the interests of the common people and local retail shop keepers as well.
Now, coming back to the first issue, it is hugely
regrettable to note that political morality and social values are being
continuously eroded away by the current galaxy of politicians belonging to all
political parties; particularly after the death of former Prime Minister, late
Mrs. Indira Gandhi. No politician worth his salt ever speaks on eradication of
corruption, black money, scams and financial irregularities & frauds etc.,
except when he is in opposition. Not only that, politics used to be taken as a
sort of social service till the early eighties, but now strangely enough, it
has been reduced to a lucrative business entity only. Make hay while the sun
shines brightly – seems to be their only guiding factor for most of the
politicians.
It is not that only UPA Government at the Centre has
become insensitive and unconcerned about the problems of the masses, even most
of the governments pertaining other political parties in most of the States have
also adopted almost the same attitude and concern for the people, as they all
have the feeling lurking in their subconscious minds that the electorates have
no other option but to haplessly wait their five term to come to an end, before
they could take any worthwhile action against them. Hence, they just feign and
pretend to sympathize with common people, but hardly take any remedial action to
solve the problems of the people who have voted them to power. Had the situation
been not like that, then why not the other State Governments slash the taxes and
duties etc. levied by them on petrol, diesel and LPG etc. to make these items
somewhat cheaper and thereby, provide the much desired relief to the common man
?
Nevertheless, as this latest hike in petro products is
uncalled for and hitting the common man very hard, the Prime Minister is
requested to please review it in the larger interest of the people and roll-back
(at least partially) this increase as soon as possible. However, as far as LPG
is concerned, it should be realistically observed that an average family of four
members cannot manage with just six cylinders a year. In case old parents also
reside with you, a cylinder will last just 24-25 days. In view of this, limit of
giving just six cylinders to a family (on subsidised rate), should be better
increased to 15 per year. And for requirement of more cylinders, its price could
be enhanced by the oil companies by Rs. 100/- per cylinder, over and above the
above mentioned ceiling of 12 cylinders to be provided at the currently
subsidised rates.
And lastly, it should also born in mind that in
now-a-days’ high inflationary atmosphere, even a person earning Rs. 30,000/- per
month cannot be termed as rich, as sky-rocketing inflation daily makes a mockery
of him when he has to grapple with the hard facts of the market realities. Those
who make such schemes for the government cannot understand it properly, as they
devise such scheme and revisions etc. sitting in the air conditioned cabins and
are certainly not abreast with the hard facts of the market realities. And the
common man should not be made to suffer for the inaction and lethargy of the
government for its proper action to be taken on the plunderers of national
wealth, which is making the wealthy, the wealthier and poor and poorer.
-------------------------
R.D. Bhardwaj "Noorpuri"
Dated : 18th Sept., 2012