Soaring Prices of Rice and Pulses Severely Affecting People: Govt Must Act Immediately!
The price of rice in Tamil Nadu has been rising steadily, with even ordinary varieties used for daily consumption reaching an alarming ₹77 per kilogram. Over the past three months, since July, rice prices have increased by as much as ₹27 per kilogram, while the price of a 26-kg bag has risen by up to ₹700. It is condemnable that, instead of taking measures to control the price rise, the State Food Minister continues to claim that there has been no increase in rice prices.
In Tamil Nadu, the price of a 26-kg bag of ordinary parboiled rice, which was ₹1,100 in July, has now risen to ₹1,800. In other words, the price of this variety has increased from ₹42 to ₹70 per kilogram. Similarly, the price of a 26-kg bag of Ponni parboiled rice has risen from ₹1,400 to ₹1,900, while the price of Sona Masuri rice supplied from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka has increased from ₹1,400 to ₹2,000 per bag.
Likewise, in the Virudhunagar wholesale market, the price of a 100-kg bag of tur dal has increased by ₹600, from ₹13,200 to ₹13,800. The price of Nadu Ulundhu (urad dal) was ₹9,100–₹9,200 per 100-kg bag last week, but has risen by ₹1,100 this week to ₹10,200–₹10,400.
With retail prices increasing by up to ₹27 per kilogram for rice, ₹6 for tur dal and ₹11 for urad dal, poor and middle-class families are being severely affected. I had already issued statements on July 22 and September 27, urging the Tamil Nadu Government to take steps to control the rising price of rice. However, the State Government has taken no effective action to bring down rice prices.
Instead, the Food Minister has claimed that the Government is monitoring the prices of 11 essential commodities, that rice prices have not increased at all, and that the reported price rise is merely a false narrative created by the Opposition. At a time when people are suffering severely because rice prices have increased by as much as ₹27 per kilogram, claiming that there has been no increase in rice prices is highly irresponsible and dangerous.
The Government must abandon this negligent approach and immediately take effective measures to control the prices of essential commodities, including rice and pulses, in order to protect the people from further hardship.
@CMOTamilnadu