Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Government intervention helped contain prices

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government has made a valiant effort to provide essential commodities at reasonable prices to the common man during the Onam season.

It had, to begin with, succeeded in getting the allotment of rice, wheat and sugar increased.

That placed the public distribution system in a comfortable position. Because of this, the Government was able to provide five kg of rice free-of-cost to school students. One-and-a-half kg of additional sugar is being given to all categories of people in connection with Onam. Fortified ‘atta’ is also being supplied through all the ration shops at Rs.11 per kg.

Milma has taken steps in advance to overcome the shortage of milk which is a recurrent feature during the festival season. The normal sale is 9.50 lakh litres of milk per day. Anticipating an increase in demand to the tune of two lakh litres per day during the season, it tied up with the cooperative dairies in the neighbouring States to bring in additional milk to Kerala. As a result of the strict quality control measures taken by the authorities, the sale of four brands of milk was banned.

Artificial shortage of cooking gas is another common feature during the season. In order to avoid that, a meeting of representatives of oil companies, distributors and top officials was held much in advance. It helped in not only smoothening the distribution, but also providing 42,000 fresh connections which were in arrears. An all-India strike of the officers of oil companies had threatened to queer the pitch at one stage.

But with the prompt settlement of the issues involved, the crisis on that count was also defused.

Supplyco, the Government agency, had procured the other essential items much in demand during the season in advance. It was, therefore, able to distribute many of these items at prices at which it was selling them for the last nine months. The Supplyco is reportedly selling several items, including sugar at prices which are much lower than that in the open market. The Supplyco had opened special Onam counters in association with super markets, Labham markets and Maveli stores. All outlets of the Supplyco had also functioned as mini fairs.

Items were sold at prices which were 10 to 40 per cent lower than that in the open market in these places. There has been no complaint of shortage or poor quality of any items in any of these outlets. Arrangements were also made to enable the public to buy things without any crowding and jostling.

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