Nitish Kumar skips Niti Aayog meeting
Patna (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not attend the Niti Aayog meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, officials said.
The state was represented at the meeting by deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, they said.
The cause for Kumar's absence from the crucial meeting could not be known immediately.
"This is not the first time that the CM is not attending the Nitish Aayog meeting. The CM did not attend the meeting earlier as well, and Bihar was represented by the then deputy CM. This time also both the Dy CMs went to attend the meeting," JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told PTI.
"Besides, there are four Union ministers from Bihar who are members of the Aayog and they will be present in the meeting. There is nothing to say on this," he added.
The ninth governing council meeting of the Aayog discussed the 'Vikshit Bharat@2047' document with an aim to make India a developed nation.
The council, the apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all CMs, Lt Governors of Union territories and several Union ministers. PM Modi is the chairman of Niti Aayog.
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Centre must roll back LPG price hike, says Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately roll back the recent steep hike in LPG prices, alleging that it has severely impacted common people and small businesses.
In a statement, Vijayan described the increase as "one of the most cruel" in the history of cooking gas price revisions, saying it has pushed ordinary households and entrepreneurs into distress.
He said the price of commercial LPG cylinders had been raised by Rs 993 in one go, crossing Rs 3,000, which would adversely affect the hotel and restaurant sector.
The hike in the price of 5-kg LPG cylinders by Rs 251.50 would hit migrant workers and small families who depend on them, he added.
The chief minister alleged that the hike came immediately after the conclusion of Assembly elections in states, placing an additional burden on common people, small-scale entrepreneurs and migrant labourers.
Pointing to the ongoing crisis in West Asia, Vijayan said the hospitality sector has already been facing a shortage of cooking gas for months and the latest price increase would be difficult to absorb.
The burden would ultimately be passed on to consumers, he said, warning that several small establishments, including those in Kerala, could be forced to shut down.
Accusing oil companies of prioritising profits over public welfare, he said such a trend of imposing additional financial burden on people cannot be accepted.
Vijayan also alleged that the Centre's policies favour corporate interests and called for a correction in approach.
He urged the Union government to withdraw the excessive hike without delay.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on May 1, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
