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Sunday, Feb 04, 2007
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Price rise: Government to intervene

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan has said that the Government will clamp down on black marketing and hoarding to check the spurt in the prices of essential commodities.

Briefing reporters after a high-level meeting to review the price situation and consider steps to check the price rise, Mr. Achuthanandan said the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) would intervene strongly in the market to hold the price line. Essential commodities would be sold at 2 per cent below the market prices through the Super Maveli Stores in Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram and commodities procured directly from production centres to avert profiteering. Since the cut in the State's quota of food grains was also one of the reasons for the price rise, efforts would be made to get the Centre to restore the earlier quotas.

Dues to be cleared

The different departments involved in the free mid-day meal scheme for schoolchildren would also be asked to clear their dues to Supplyco at the earliest, he said.

The meeting was attended by Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran, Revenue Minister K. P. Rajendran, Chief Secretary Lizzie Jacob, Additional Chief Secretary Thomas C. George, Principal Secretary (Finance) Jose Cyriac, Principal Secretary (Revenue) Nivedita P. Haran, Secretary to the Chief Minister Sheela Thomas, Food Secretary Rajan Khobragade, Political Secretary to the Chief Minister K. N. Balagopal and Supplyco MD Yogesh Gupta.

He said one of the major reasons for the price spiral was the Central Government's promotion of private retail monopolies such as Reliance and dilution of laws that ensured efficient functioning of the public distribution system. The Food Minister told reporters that the Chief Minister had already instructed District Collectors to take stern action against those indulging in black marketing and hoarding. Steps were being taken to distribute more sugar and pulses through ration shops, to strengthen the functioning of the Horticultural Products Development Corporation and to sell vegetables through Supplyco outlets.

A meeting of representatives of traders and restaurant owners would be held here on February 6 to discuss the price situation.

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