CHENNAI:The sky-rocketing prices of tur and urad dal has led to a visible shift in monthly-bills and budgets across the country. Dal, taken for granted as a cheap source of protein and household necessity, has now touched a price that is endangering its very presence on household shelves.
Some varieties of seafood and chicken (which is Rs 140 a kilo) offer a stable if not cheaper protein source in meat-eating households. However, vegetarian households, where protein in the diet comes mainly from pulses and dairy, have been badly affected this season.
For some like Melinda J Cherian, an upper middle-class school teacher in Chennai, price rise has given her a constant frown as she pores over grocery bills. “The brand of dal I buy has become so costly, it’s ridiculous. At the same time, my whole family has health issues and I can’t compromise on quality. It is really not fair to the common public,” she complains. For her family of five, she has been spending Rs 6,000 month over a ‘simple food budget’.
Lower-income families, on the other hand, have been forced to struggle to even put a meal on the table. Thirty-year-old Solomon Balaji, a cab driver, says that the budget for his family of three was under Rs 1,500 a year or two ago. “Even after taking the fortnightly mutton off the menu, it comes up to as much as Rs 3,000 now and it’s just me, my wife and 3-year-old child” he exclaims. “Eating out has put me on a hospital stretcher in the past. Nowadays, when my wife isn’t in town, I eat at one of the subsidised government eateries instead,” says Solomon, claiming that it’s a safer option at his budget. “Even for my friends eating at roadside eateries, it’s costly. Can you believe an idly costs Rs 9?” he says.
Jaya, a domestic help, who cooks for herself and her son, complains when asked about her budget for food. “I need Rs 2,000 a month at least,” she says. The 47-year-old, despite disliking the quality of pulses sold at the ration shop, has switched to mixing the 1kg rationed tur and urad, which costs her Rs 30 through the PDS, with another kilo of store-bought pulses of better quality.
“It’s the only way the meal tastes decent after a hard day’s work,” she sighs. The ration pulses are popular for the price and though hardly a favourite among customers are returning to their kitchens.
In fact, the rise in prices has pushed some middle-income households to buy ration-price pulses through the black market. Selvi V, 49, used to pick up her monthly groceries from the nearest kirana shop. But with the most discounted, ‘wholesale price only’, kirana shops also becoming expensive, she gets a portion of her supplies through her maid’s ration card. “No other choice. I have to feed three hungry mouths, and a pet with a voracious appetite. I’ve even stopped making vada and muruku this festival season. It’s just not feasible. It’s going to be a savoury-less Diwali,” she rues.