The Hindu : Karnataka News : Nationwide agitation against price rise planned

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Karnataka

Karnataka

Nationwide agitation against price rise planned

Staff Correspondent

‘State Government has not booked people found hoarding essential commodities’
‘Outsourcing midday meal scheme will leave hundreds of workers unemployed’

Chitradurga: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) is planning to hold a nationwide agitation on August 20 against the Union Government’s alleged failure to control inflation.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, CITU State committee member K. Mahantesh said the rising prices of essential commodities had burdened the lives of the poor. “While inflation is spiralling, several dealers are hoarding of essential commodities and creating an artificial scarcity,” he said. The Union Government had failed in addressing both issues.

Referring to the crisis that arose from the shortage of fertilizers in the State, Mr. Mahantesh alleged that the State Government had not booked cases against those who had been found hoarding fertilizers. Commenting on the budget presented by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, he said that though the Government had announced free electricity to pumpsets of farmers, it failed to mention where the Government would get the electricity from.

“The available power in the State is inadequate to meet the current demand. Without generating more electricity, how will it be possible for the Government to distribute free power to farmers,” he asked.

The Government was also unclear about the means it would adopt to generate revenue to fulfil other announcements made in the budget, he said.

On outsourcing of the midday meal scheme to private entities, Mr. Mahantesh said that the agitation planned for August 20 would take up all these issues, he said.

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