The first meeting of the high-powered committee on price rise, constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh under the chairmanship of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, will convene its first meeting on Thursday. The committee, comprising chief ministers of almost 10 major states, was constituted on February 6 after a day-long deliberation on price rise between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and state chief ministers. Singh is also expected to address the panel, which also comprises food & agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.
According to sources, one big agenda in the meeting will be to discuss ways and means to reform agricultural marketing.
India?s food inflation had soared to almost 20% during the later half of 2009 as the worst drought in three-decades crimped farm supplies. Though prices of essential commodities have started falling in the recent weeks, pulling down food inflation to around 16%, sources said the meeting assumes significance as price rise is a recurring problem.
The meeting could also discuss on measures to reduce the gap between farm gate and retail prices, long blamed for the spurt in food prices.
