Gujarat govt questions wisdom of petro hike

Gandhinagar, Jun 7 (UNI) Questioning the economic wisdom of a price hike in petroleum products today, state government and Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said the steep hike will not only adversely affect the common man, but will also bring serious ramification in growth of the State.

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Vyas said the hike was brought into effect in an unprofessional manner and will have serious negative effects on the State.

Commenting on the Union government's suggestion that state governments must reduce the taxes, Mr Vyas said it will mislead the people to believe that the hike will increase state government's income.

He said the increase in state government's income is only half truth, as the State will have an income increase of Rs 450 crore, but the government's developmental plans will consume petrol and diesel worth more than Rs 455 crores.

This rise in the cost will have adverse effects on developmental project, which is a matter of great concern for the state government.

Mr Vyas alleged that the Union government has adopted discriminatory policies towards Gujarat as it has allocated large amounts of money as special packages for other states. In the budget for current financial year, the Union government has allocated more than Rs 57,000 crore as special package to some states but Gujarat has not received any such package, he said.

UNI HT RN PDT KP1925