Live
- Allu Arjun Arrested: KTR Reacts on X, Calls Arrest Unfair
- Bold steps by Modi govt in reviving Indian heritage, culture: Union Minister
- What are the charges against Allu Arjun: Understanding the Charges Against Him
- Allu Arjun Objects to Arrest Procedure, Requests Breakfast and Change of Clothes
- ‘Fear’ movie review: A gripping suspense thriller
- Phenom Successfully Hosts IAMPHENOM India, Transforming the Future of Work with AI, Automation, and Talent Experience
- Constitution provides shied, guarantee to Indians: Priyanka in LS
- Allu Arjun’s Quash Petition Hearing at 2:30 PM; Chiranjeevi Visits Police Station
- Bommai hails 'One Nation, One Election' move as PM Modi’s bold decision
- Telangana IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu Highlights Future City Vision and Data Center Growth at IAMPHENOM Event
Dal prices: Govt misses people’s pulse
Highlights
Dal prices: Govt misses people’s pulse. The demand for pulses is at around 21 million tonnes and production is at 17.38 million tonnes. The supposed shortage is being met through 5,000 million tonne imports.
The demand for pulses is at around 21 million tonnes and production is at 17.38 million tonnes. The supposed shortage is being met through 5,000 million tonne imports. That’s good. But why despite such imports, prices do not remain in check? Instances of the States which acted are enough to suggest that the traders have cartelised and indulged in hoardings all across the country. What are Intelligence Bureau (IB) and state intelligence units, whose job is to monitor such anti-people activities, doing?
Capitalism is at its zenith in a country which has a statute abiding by socialism. So the poor man’s dal (pulses) is demanding a price – Rs 200-odd a kg, which millions of Indians can ill-afford. The bottom line being the ‘promises’ made by politicians in Bihar to bring down the price to Rs 100, which would be at least Rs 20 more than the price prevailing about two months back at around Rs 80.
Who gains? The capitalist dalwalla! Instead of bringing down the prices to around Rs 30-40, about two years ago, politicians are willing to give the predatory sellers a minimum bonus of Rs 20 a kg. Unfortunately, the political dispensation is not trying to protect the interests of the poor man, the garib, who has been losing all battles. The politicians, who promise to halve the prevailing dal price, forget that it is the same arhar or tur dal that the farmers have sold for less than Rs 40 a kg.
Similarly, they have not been successful in checking onion prices. It sells at Rs 60 to 80 a kg. All other vegetables are beyond affordable levels. So are rice and wheat. Political players and cartelized traders may have every reason to be gleeful and even ignore the vital issue, which is eating into the core of democracy. They have got nothing to lose.
The blame game may suit poll campaigners of all parties but it is eroding credibility of the governments. While Nitish may take a pot shot at Modi’s “Na Khaunga, na khane doonga” remark by making a reference to dal, the latter is being accused of not utilising the special Central fund for price stabilisation to help the consumers.
This country has seen the government body NAFED getting wired in the spiraling of onion and potato prices many times. It has also seen how carefully Amul changed the packing mode of edible oil to only a litre to add to the profits of oil traders by over ten per cent.
And, the so-called political bosses, who happen to be chairmen of such organizations, neither tried to prevent these machinations nor even uttered a word in protest. Strangely enough UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav does not know that he can order raids. Instead, he wants the Prime Minister to suggest a formula.
Luckily, all are not like him and it isn’t that some States have not realised it and started taking action. At least Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and a few other States have conducted 3,000 raids to “unearth” 56,000 tonnes of hoarded pulses. Obviously, there is bureaucratic complicity. Every police station knows about such activities. However, they do not act, perhaps for a price. Else a scam of such an all-India magnitude can never take place.
Additionally, there is the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and State local intelligence units, whose job is to monitor such anti-people activities. If they have not reported such hoardings, then they – from topmost to the lowest employee – must be severely pulled up. In case they had reported it and action at other levels was not initiated, all such officials need to be summarily sacked for effective governance as also to restore faith of the people in the system.
The demand for pulses is at around 21 million tonnes and production is at 17.38 million tonnes. The supposed shortage is being met through 5,000 million tonne imports. That’s good. But why despite such imports, prices do not remain in check? Instances of the States which acted are enough to suggest that the traders have cartelised and indulged in hoardings all across the country.
What is the explanation that those at the helm of affairs are unable to check the phenomenon? These are difficult questions but beg an answer. It so happens that the first NDA government of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had realised the misdemeanor of the businesses. Vajpayee had set up an agriculture monitoring body.
It used to regularly keep a watch on production of different farm commodities and plan accordingly. It had a sanguine effect. Prices during his six years of rule remained stable and inflation almost unknown. The subsequent UPA government dismantled it and the country is in throes of severe price spiral since then.
Maintaining prices and not just the price index, at affordable levels has to be the prime concern of any government. Agriculture has to be in direct focus of governance. Proper production, uninterrupted supply chain - may be a PDS, check on hoarding and other malpractices can make commodities affordable.
If all this is ignored or left to “market forces,” as the UPA did, it would lead to the collapse of the economy and perhaps much more. There is no shortage of any commodity. It is mismanagement that is causing the turmoil.
By Shivaji Sarkar
Next Story
ADVERTISEMENT
