Question : SUBSIDY ON PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

(a) whether the Government has constituted a Committee and asked for its suggestion to do away with the subsidy being given on the petroleum products in the country;

(b) if so, the date on which the Committee was constituted and the names of its members;

(c) whether the representatives of the consumers have also been included in the Committee;

(d) if so, the number of representatives of consumers and Government in the Committee; and

(e) the time by which the Committee is likely to give its report?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI DINSHA PATEL)

(a): In order to formulate a long term pricing policy, the Government had constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, which also examined the issue of petroleum subsidy.

(b)to(d): The Committee was constituted on 26.10.2005. The composition of the Inter Ministerial Committee is at Annex. The Committee comprised of Government officials and eminent experts in equal number.

(e): The Committee submitted its report on 17.2.2006.

Annex

The composition of the Inter-Ministerial Committee is as follows:-

(i) Dr. C Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister Chairman
(ii) Dr. Kirit S. Parikh, Member, Planning Commission Member
(iii) Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Member
(iv) Dr. Ashok Lahiri, Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance Member
(v) Shri Saumitra Chaudhuri, Chief Economist, ICRA, New Delhi Member
(vi) Prof. B. H. Dholakia, Director, IIM, Ahmedabad Member