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To check the ‘unreasonable’ increase in prices of some food items such as onions and potatoes, the Centre has convened a meeting of State Food Ministers here on July 4.
The meeting will be chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and will be presided over by Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
Taking serious note of the recent hike in the prices of food items, the Government has decided to take strong action against it, jointly with State Governments, especially as there are enough stocks of foodgrains and other essential commodities in the country, the Food Ministry said in a release.
Hike in onion prices
Meanwhile, the Centre has asked State Governments to take urgent measures to tackle the undue increase in onion prices.
In a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all States, Consumer Affiars Secretary Keshav Desiraju said: “Action needs to be taken to eliminate any hitches in the supply chain and to ensure an uninterrupted supply of onion so that the scope for speculation in eliminated and the general public are not subjected to any hardship because of price rise.''
He also requested States to intimate to the Centre about the steps taken by them to ensure adequate availability of onions so that the prices are kept under control.
Distribution through public channels
The Government has swing into action after a spike in the prices of some commodities and plans to take steps to prevent hoarding of these commodities and plans for distribution of specific essential items through public channels. “Improving other supply channels will be also discussed in Friday’s meeting, the Ministry said.
“The meeting will also review the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act for creating a national common market for food items with no barriers to internal trade. Issues pertaining to maintenance of stock and supply of onion and potato as well as improving post harvest infrastructure, value-addition and containing wastage will also be taken up in the meeting to ensure availability of these commodities,” it said.
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