Uf Panel Skirts Decision On Petro Price Hike Again

The Steering Committee of the ruling United Front once again put off a decision on the proposed hike in prices of petroleum products at its meeting yesterday.

It would meet again to decide on the matter shortly.

United Front spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said there was an awareness at the meeting that the decision could not be put off for a long time in view of the impending crisis facing the oil industry.

The next meeting, dates for which have not been finalised, will take a final view, he said.

Union finance minister P Chidambaram and Communist Party of India (M) general-secretary H S Surjeet were not present at the meeting, which ruled out the possibility of the committee taking up any financial matter like the oil price issue. Surjeet was however present at the meeting of the core group of the coalition earlier in the day.

The committee also skirted the issue of evolving a consensus on the controversial womens reservation bill within the coalition.

It was decided to strengthen the revamped public distribution system in view of the Left Fronts demand for a review of the new public distribution system. The Left parties had demanded that the government should provide 30 kg of foodgrain to families below poverty line per month, against the present provision of 10 kg.

Reddy, however, refused to divulge the details of the ways in which the public distribution system would be strengthened.

It was felt at the meeting that even if some scheme with regard to the public distribution system evolved at the national level there would be some problem regarding its implementation.

Hence it was decided to urge all the state governments to help in the effective implementation of the new programme.

It was also decided that from now onwards all the legislative bills would be discussed within the United Front before introducing it in Parliament.

Bills, with all their contents, would also be discussed with Congress so as to avoid embarrassment in the Parliament.

Reddy said that efforts would be made to build up consensus on bills within the Front and also with the Congress before they were introduced.