news details |
|
|
| Check rising prices | | | | The government that cannot ensure supply of essentials to the common man at affordable prices has no right to remain in power. It is the primary duty of the government which is voted to power by the people to serve their interests and ensure their reasonable standard of living and help them make both ends meet. The cries over shooting up prices of essential commodities being raised all over the country, had its echo in the parliament during its last session. While protest demonstrations are being held in various parts of the country, organized by the opponents of the government as well as by some friendly parties, the government was grilled in both Houses of parliament by the opposition as well as the left parties, who are supporting the government from outside. The plea taken by some ministers earlier that the government had no magic wand to bring down the prices or check the same from further rising was particularly subject of sharp attack by the opposition. Obviously the government can no more take refuge for its failure to check the rising spiral in prices of essential commodities of daily use, under the plea of inflation being a global phenomenon. Pressed hard and finding itself under pressure it is obliged to take some steps, which are hoped to bear the fruit and bring down the prices. While the government had already announced reduction of import duty on edible oil and pulses, it has decided to import one million tones of edible oil and 15 lakh tones of pulses and is mulling a ban on future trading in essential commodities. The announcement to this effect in the Lok Sabha has raised hopes among the people at large that they will get reprieve and some relief from the sky rocketing prices of food stuffs and other essentials. Together with this the Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram warned of tough measures to check rising prices. He warned the cement and steal manufacturers that if their behavior does not change, the government will not hesitate to take tough measures. Alleging that cement and steel manufacturers are behaving like cartel and announcing that this logjam shall have to be broken, Chidambaram even assured that the government will not mind losing revenue in its endeavour to bring down the prices to provide relief to the common man. Back home the J&K Minister for Public Distribution and Supplies, Taj Mahiddin has assured of taking effective steps to provide relief to the people from rising prices. The ban on export of unpolished yellow rice from J&K to outside the state, which was lifted in the recent past, has been re-imposed. Barring basmati rice the export of all other qualities of rice from the state has been banned. The government has already booked some vegetable and fruit vendors for under weighing the stuffs being sold in retain. The prices of some vegetables and fruits of common use have been fixed and notified, with the retailers asked to display the rates at their shops as mandatory. How far these measures will be effected and bring down the prices to the desired extent is yet to be noticed. At least the impact of these measures is not visible on the ground as yet, since the prices of vegetables, pulses and edible oil, wheat atta and rice still have not fallen down in the market. There is also the need for unearthing the hoarded stocks of items of food stuffs in the godowns of the hoarders, who indulge in hoarding and creating artificial scarcity of the items, with the sole purpose of earning huge profit at the cost of the suffering by the common man. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
