Left proposal to universalise PDS to curb price rise rejected

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

Related Articles

Inflation may touch 10% by end MarchInflation up at 0.83% on higher food pricesHoarding drives food inflation by 16.32%Inflation a matter of concern: FM

New Delhi, Apr 17: The government on Thursday rejected the proposal by the Left Parties to universalise the public distribution system (PDS) to curb prices of essential commodities, saying that such a move would hurt the interests of poor people.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said that the situation was “not that bad”.

Winding up a two-day discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the price rise issue he said if PDS was extended to all sections, there would be increase in prices, which would hurt the interests of families living below the poverty line. On another demand of the Left to ban futures trading of agricultural produce, he said the government was awaiting the report of the experts committee headed by Abhijeet Sen. However, the government would not wait for the report beyond 10 days and would take a decision on the issue, he said.

He said that wheat buffer stocks were likely to improve as indications from the procurement in the initial period of the current season are encouraging.

“I am confident we will be able to achieve the 15 million tonnes procurement target this year”, he said. He said if need be, the government would release wheat in the open market to stem the prices. “We have procured 89% of total arrivals of wheat in the first few days of procurement season this year,” Pawar said.

Indian imported more than 1.8 million tonnes of wheat in 2007 as it could only procure about 11 million tonnes against the target of 15 million tonnes. Even in 2006, the imports were to the tune of 5.5 million tonnes as procurement level was low at 9.2 million tonne.

Attributing inflation in the country to global foodgrain crisis, Pawar said prices of wheat and edible oil have risen sharply because many countries have started cultivating grains like corn and shifted oils towards production of biofuel.

Pawar said the use of ethanol have been permitted by successive governments but it was obtained from waste like molasses and the cultivation of jatropha was limited to barren areas of Kutch in Gujarat and other states.