2 weeks ago
CPI leader urges Kerala government to curb Onam price rise
A leader from the CPI party in Kerala, named G R Anil, is worried that food prices will go up during Onam, a big festival in the state.
He spoke to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram and asked the Kerala government to step in and help.
He wants the government to make sure things like rice are sold at fair prices to ordinary people.
In the past, special government shops called Supplyco sold essential goods cheaply, and many families depended on them.
Anil says more than 56 lakh (5.6 million) families used these shops.
He thinks the current government is not helping people as much as earlier governments did.
He feels people are being left to pay high prices in the open market.
He also said the central government had stopped sending extra wheat to Kerala in 2022, which hurt many families, though it was later restored.
With Onam arriving next week, he asks the Chief Minister and other ministers to act quickly to bring prices down and protect families during the festival.
CPI leader and former civil supplies minister G R Anil urged the Kerala government to intervene to contain prices of essential commodities during the Onam season.
Anil said over 56 lakh families relied on Supplyco outlets, citing ration card data, to show the extent of government market intervention in past years.
He alleged people have been 'abandoned to the open market' this time, unlike under successive Left (LDF) governments that followed a market intervention model.
Anil said the Centre stopped the tide-over allocation of wheat in 2022, affecting around 50-51 lakh families, and that it was later restored after Kerala MPs raised the issue in Parliament.
Calling civil supplies department's 'complete failure and negligence' responsible for severe price hikes, he urged immediate measures as Onam approaches next week.
- Who
- G R Anil, CPI leader and former civil supplies minister of Kerala, addressing a press conference; the Kerala government and traders are also involved.
- What
- Anil urged the Kerala government to intervene and take immediate measures to curb rises in prices of rice and other essential commodities during the Onam season.
- Where
- Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
- When
- Thursday, August 13, with Onam arriving the following week.
- Why
- To shield ordinary people from severe price hikes during the festival season, which Anil says government market intervention through Supplyco and other outlets had previously contained.
Key facts
- Speaker
- G R Anil, CPI leader and former civil supplies minister
- Location
- Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
- Date
- August 13
- Demand
- Government intervention to contain Onam-season prices of essential commodities
- Families relying on Supplyco
- Over 56 lakh families
- Families affected by halted wheat allocation
- Around 50-51 lakh families
- Wheat allocation stopped by Centre
- 2022 (later restored after Kerala MPs raised the issue)
- Festival
- Onam, arriving next week
Quotes
G R Anil
CPI leader and former Kerala civil supplies minister
““Wholesale traders and retail traders who deal in rice are saying with surprise that we have never seen a situation where the government stands as mere spectators during the Onam season.””
theprint.in
““The complete failure and negligence of the civil supplies department is what pushed people into severe price hikes during this Onam season.””
theprint.in
Sources
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