(a) whether the oil undertakings has formulated a dealers selection policy in which the daughters/sisters of the land owners cannot be nominated for the award of dealership;
(b) if so, whether it is not against the provision of Hindu Succession Act and a step to deprive the women from their right of succession in this era; and
(c) the time by which this policy is likely to be amended with a view to benefit the women section of the society specially unmarried daughters of the family?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRIMATI SUMITRA MAHAJAN)
(a) to (c): After the dismantling of the Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) in the petroleum sector with effect from 1.4.2002, the public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) are authorized to select dealers / distributors for retail outlet dealerships (petrol pumps), LPG distributorships and SKO-LDO dealerships on the basis of guidelines adopted by them. The Government have only advised the OMCs to observe certain broad parameters in the guidelines to be formulated by them. One of these parameters is that there should be no change in the percentages of reservation for various sections of the society, which means that 33% of the dealerships/ distributorships in each category are to be reserved for women belonging to that category.
The guidelines formulated by the OMCs provide for allotment of dealerships to land-owners subject to fulfilment of certain requirements by the latter.