New Delhi, August 08: Agriculture and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sharad Pawar has blamed “new factors” like increase in income, climate change, high energy prices, globalisation and urbanisation were impacting on the cost of essential commodities.
Making it clear that the UPA government was not ignoring the situation, he told Lok Sabha on Friday: “There have been changes in the world, which are having impact on India too.”
However Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, who staged a walk out, after the minister’s reply on the debate on the increase in the prices of essential commodities, said: “..though the government had won the mandate to protect the interests of Aam Admi (common man), the Aam Admi is sad now.” If the government had taken measures to protect the prices of essential commodities then why they had risen? He was not satisfied with the minister’s reply and hence walking out. Left party members followed suit.
Earlier Mr. Pawar reeled out statistics and said the Centre had asked States to take action against hoarders under the Essential Commodities Act. Four States had detained 162 traders, while 13 States issued orders on stock limits of food items.
On shortage of pulses in the country, he said production of pulses had stagnated while the demand had gone up, resulting in a gap of 3.5 to 4 million tonnes. The shortage was quite marked in case of tur, moong and urad, he said, adding the public sector entities and private enterprises had already imported 9.30 lakh tonnes of pulses to meet the demand.
Regarding sugar prices, Mr. Pawar said 29 lakh tonne of raw sugar had been imported by private traders on suggestion by the government and situation should improve when it reached the market after processing.
The importers had been asked to ensure that this quantity of refined sugar reached market within three months of import, failing which the government would confiscate the stocks and release it through the public distribution system, he warned.
–Agencies