Other States - Himachal Pradesh   

CPI-M protests against price rise continue

Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA: The State Committee of the CPI-M held demonstrations against price rise at number of places in the state for the second day today. In the state capital the Secretary of the Party Rakesh Singha addressed two protest meetings in the Himachal University, Summer Hill and Kaithu suburbs of the town. Before that the party activists had distributed thousands of pamphlets condemning price rise and anti people policies of the government in a door to door campaign.

Mr. Rakesh Singha lambasted the Central and State governments for their abject surrender to the market forces. He said, "The State has virtually abdicated from the responsibility of providing cheap ration to the needy and instead is working in the interests of neo liberal forces".

The CPIM has stated, the government is leaving no stone unturned to propagate that the inflation is under control, but despite that, the prices of essential commodities and especially food items are soaring high. The prices of Wheat flour, sugar and rice have reached exorbitantly high at Rs 15, 25 and 16 respectively. Similarly the basic food item providing nutrition and proteins to the people, the pulses have gone beyond the reach of a common man. The CPIM has stated the ruinous neo-economic policies are responsible for the disaster that has happened in the prices of essential commodities. The free market forces are determining the prices of the essential commodities and very little scope has been kept for the government to intervene. Secondly the virtual abolition of the scheme of public distribution system is also responsible for the present crisis.

The CPIM leaders argued that on the one hand the peasantry is committing suicide because of total failure of the government to intervene for the purchase of the crop after harvest; on the other hand the government also shows its inept efficiency to intervene during the regulation of the prices at least of the essential commodities. The party has asked to government to immediately intervene and strengthen the PDS. The clause of above poverty line and below poverty line should for the moment be deleted and every one should be provided with ration food through the ration cards. Secondly at least 14 essential commodities should be enlisted and the government should regulate their prices.

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CPI-M protests against price rise continue

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