CHENNAI: Food Minister P Venkataramanan, responding to questions posed by the opposition parties on rising prices of essential commodities, told the Assembly on Friday that the state government has been taking steps to prevent shortages and that it would soon act to control onion prices through ration and other outlets. He added that the government has been monitoring the prices of 41 essential commodities on a daily basis, besides attributing the price hike partly to the West Asia conflict and higher fuel costs.
The opposition parties claimed that the price increase has severely affected poor and middle-class families. During the Zero Hour, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin claimed that people have even minimised their visits to grocery shops due to the rise in prices. He said the Left parties, which are part of the ruling alliance, had also held protests over the issue. Udhayanidhi recalled that the DMK, in 2007, introduced a special public distribution scheme to safeguard the people from a similar price hike, and sold pulses, cooking oil, rava and maida through ration outlets at prices lower than the market rates.
Further, he urged the government to increase the quantity of sugar and other essential items supplied through ration shops and hold a special meeting with ministers and officials of the Finance, Food and Cooperation departments to resolve the issue.
AIADMK floor leader and general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the price of rice has increased by Rs 20 per kg, while sugar has gone up from Rs 48 to Rs 72 per kg. Turmeric, chilli, jaggery and tamarind have also become costlier, he said, adding that cooking oil prices have increased by nearly 40%. Palaniswami said the previous AIADMK government had used a Rs 100-crore price control fund to buy commodities from states where prices were lower and sell them in Tamil Nadu through cooperative outlets. The members from CPI, CPM and Congress also echoed similar views.
Meanwhile, officials from the civil supplies and consumer protection department said the sale of sugar, rice, onions and a few other vegetables and groceries at highly subsidised rates would soon be launched through farm fresh cooperative stores, cooperative supermarkets, and fair price shops across the state. Essential commodities would be priced based on the rates from one month prior to the sale date, making them 30%-40% cheaper than current market rates. An official announcement is expected on August 31.
An official said, “The number of fair price shops to be covered in Chennai and other cities, including Coimbatore and Madurai, is being finalised. Arrangements are being made to procure groceries and vegetables both within and outside the state.”
The move comes amid a sharp increase in prices of essential commodities in Chennai. While the prices of grocery items have risen by Rs 10- Rs 20 per kg, the price of onions has increased by around Rs 20 per kg over the past two weeks.
