Palmolein issue price reduced

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 13. The Cabinet Committee on Prices today decided to reduce the central issue price of palmolein from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 18,000 per tonne for the oil sold to State Governments in bulk and from Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 20,000 for the oil sold in 15 kg tins.

The Cabinet panel, which met here this morning, also decided to allow export of 50,000 more tonnes of onions during April and May. This is in addition to the earlier decision under which allowed export of two lakh tonnes from December 1 to March 31.

Announcing these decisions, a Government spokesperson said the issue price of palmolein was reduced as the market price of the commodity had come down and the State Trading Corporation had an ample stock of 34,000 tonnes with it.

Likewise, she said, more quantity of onions was being allowed to be exported as the production this year had been very good. The total production was estimated at 47.5 lakh tonnes, much more than the consumption level of about 39 lakh tonnes.

Under the new decision, all varieties of onions would be allowed to be exported. There would particularly be no restrictions with regards to the Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram varieties, she added.

The Union Cabinet, which also met this morning, decided to declare the airports at Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Goa, Amritsar, and Guwahati as international airports. It also cleared a proposal for the construction of a new airport at Hyderabad and decided that once it was commissioned the status of international airport would be conferred on it and the existing airport closed.

In addition, the Cabinet decided to allot defence land measuring 2,158 sq.m in Delhi Cantonment area to Indraprastha Gas Limited on leasehold-basis for augmentation of compressed natural gas (CNG) supply outlets in Delhi, and cleared a proposal to set up a national institute of renewable energy in Jalandhar, Punjab.

`Levy sugar price same'

There is no change in the retail issue price of levy sugar distributed under the PDS, which was set at Rs 13 per kg from March 1.

The Centre has fixed the zone-wise ex-factory levy sugar prices payable to sugar factories for the 1999-2000 sugar season at Rs. 1,110.71 per quintal, which is higher by Rs. 59.72 per quintal over last year. However, the retail issue price of levy sugar remains unchanged.

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