CM waives 5% VAT on biodiesel

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Ratia (Fatehabad), August 28

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today waived 5 per cent VAT being levied on biodiesel in Haryana.

Khattar, who was addressing a ‘Vijay Sankalp Vikas rally’ organised by Sunita Duggal, chairperson of the Haryana Scheduled Castes Welfare Corporation, in the grain market here , also announced development projects worth Rs 150 crore for the Ratia Assembly constituency.

Rajasthan, UP and Uttarakhand have already exempted biodiesel from VAT.

Khattar lashed out at opposition parties for deriding his government on the Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) and other issues. He claimed that the Opposition parties were unable to digest why his government was relentlessly pursuing policies for farmers and common people.

“Sometimes, they target my government for buying a new car for me or they have problems why I travelled in a Volvo bus. I just want to tell them that my security staff , and not I, decide as to which vehicle I have to travel in. Left to myself, I will enjoy moving around on a scooter or cycle,” said Khattar, who seemed peeved at the criticism over the purchase of a new Rs Rs 1.35-crore Land Cruiser for him .

Defending his ministerial colleague Anil Vij’s visit to Rio, Khattar said the Opposition parties criticised the visit during Olympics to support sportspersons and went to the extent of raising questions over the class he travelled during his air journey.

Khattar said the PMFBY was the best crop insurance scheme ever introduced in this country by which farmers would get the maximum risk cover at the minimum premium.

“The government can pay only up to Rs 12000 per acre and that too for up to 5 acres in the case of crop loss. But the insurance companies will pay the exact loss,” he said.

Khattar also listed a series of steps taken by his government to make the administration corruption-free.

Ratia is a part of the Sirsa parliamentary seat represented in the Assembly by INLD MLA Ravinder Baliala Sunita Duggal by just 453 votes in the October, 2014, poll.