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| Commodities of daily sustenance out of reach | | Food inflation | | Pankhuri Aggarwal
Jammu, Feb 23: Even after long years of globalization still inflation is engulfing our nation and every single part of our country is under its umbrella.
Food is a new item which has come under inflation. Everyone knows food is elementary for sustenance and if it becomes expensive how will the common man survive. A young housewife shared she spent around Rs 5,000 every month on vegetables and fruits for her family of four.
"About two years ago this expenditure was almost half", she said. The general view in the city is that the government should take immediate measures to check the spiraling prices of vegetables.
Spiraling prices of essential commodities including vegetables, fruits, wheat, pulses, tea, milk, coffee, spices, eggs and non-vegetarian products have driven many food items off the dining table. People belonging to the low and middle income groups have been especially hit by the rise in prices of staple food items such as pulses, sugar and edible oil.
Early Times finds out how costlier edible items are burning a hole in the common man's pocket. Besides almost all essential commodities, the steep increase in prices of LPG cooking gas, kerosene and petrol has added to city residents' woes.
Rising prices of essential commodities like rice, 'ghee' clarified butter and pulses including groceries and vegetables have upset budgets of middle and lower class families, particularly affecting those below the poverty line.
The fact that prices of some of the essential commodities have increased further has created great dissatisfaction. Almost all vegetables in the city's markets have become costlier, with many becoming out of reach of the common man. Prices of brinjals, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes besides fruits have also gone up.
City residents have begun feeling the pinch are cutting back on their food purchases. "The skyrocketing prices of vegetables , fruits, petrol, cooking oil, pulses and other essential goods have rendered our budget awry and we're hoping prices will come down in the coming days," said Damini, a housewife.
She added, "People have no option but to bear the brunt". "Fruits have become a luxury for the lower middle class,'' said Mansi Aggarwal with bitterness.
"My daughter at the growing stage and to ensure healthy physical development fruits is a must. But now it hurts spending Rs 150 to Rs 200 for just a kilo of apples or pomegranates,'' she said, adding, "buying packed fruit juices appeared to be a better option". All methods to keep the kitchen budget intact have failed for Minnie, a young working woman. So she switched over to precooked and ready-to-eat food items to cut down on expenses. "Half a plate of 'chilli paneer' is cheaper than half a kilo of cottage cheese. Likewise, one spends less on buying a litre of fruit juice than a kilo of fresh fruits. The choice is simple,'' she reasoned. Consumers allege officials of the food & civil supplies and the weights & measures departments as well as those of the district administration are yet to take measures to ensure traders display a price list of essential commodities. They also complain the scales used by shopkeepers are generally not up to the mark and the department concerned seldom conducts inspections of grocery and food shops. A resident of Canal road said, "When I questioned the owner of a sweetmeat shop he said he would add one more 'gulab jamun' in the box that could be treated as the box's weight. Why are such vendors spared cby officials of the food & civil supplies and the weights & measures departments?" Praveen Singh, a bank employee said, "He spent nearly Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000 on petrol every month. After every few months petrol prices are hiked. The government should step in to stabilize fuel prices". With prices of essential commodities being revised every month consumers are caught in a bind. |
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