LPG price hike disrupts kitchen budgets: Ashok Gehlot slams Centre

Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot hit out at the Centre over the LPG price hike, saying it has disrupted household budgets. He linked it to overall inflation from rising fuel prices and said women are very unhappy with the current economic situation.

Gehlot Slams Centre Over LPG Price Hike

Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Central government over the recent increase in domestic LPG cylinder prices, saying the hike has severely disrupted household budgets and affected "kitchen management" across families.

Speaking to the media in Jaipur, Gehlot said rising fuel prices, including petrol and diesel, have added continuous pressure on inflation. "The price of a cylinder has increased by Rs 29... The prices of gas cylinders keep increasing along with petrol and diesel... It is a huge blow that, along with petrol and diesel, LPG prices are also continuously rising. No one knows where this inflation will stop," he said.

He further said the impact of inflation is being felt most strongly in households. "The entire household budget, the kitchen management has been disrupted for women. Women are very unhappy. And that impact on Indian women is beyond imagination. The government has no realisation of this," Gehlot added.

His remarks come after domestic LPG prices were increased by Rs 29 per cylinder, effective June 7. The revision follows earlier hikes, including a Rs 60 increase in March amid volatility in global energy markets due to tensions in West Asia. Gehlot also accused the BJP-led Central government of using direct benefit transfer schemes for electoral gains in some states. "Now you can imagine what they do to win elections. They distribute ten thousand rupees to women in Maharashtra and Bihar. They believe this is how they get things done. But women have understood now," he said.

Government's Stance on LPG Pricing and Supply

Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas have stated that the government has taken several measures to ensure adequate LPG supply, including increased domestic production and secured imports.

On Thursday, during an inter-ministerial briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said under-recovery on domestic LPG remains significant. "As far as the under recovery on LPG domestic cooking cylinder is concerned, it is still in the range of almost 700 rupees," Sharma said while responding to media queries.

Sharma attributed the recent moderation in LPG demand to multiple factors, including lower consumption by commercial and industrial users, improved booking cycles and technology-led delivery authentication. "There has been a reduction because our commercial and industrial LPG and the other reason is the booking period that we managed, I mean 25 days and 45 days. And the third reason is the DAC [Delivery Authentication Code] linked deliveries," she said. (ANI)

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