Congress slams Centre over price rise of essential commodities

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday slammed the Narendra Modi government over the increasing price rise and said in the last 30 days the “ration to medicine” has become expensive in the country.

Taking to Twitter, Congress spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “Too difficult day by day now? Prices of pulses and pulses increased by 16 per cent in 30 days Arhar Dal Rs 125/Kg. and Chana Dal Rs 80/Kg. reached. From ration-kitchen to medicine, everything became expensive. When will this cycle of inflation end?” He also took a dig at the Centre for the skyrocketing fuel price hike, which has been the talk of the country for the sometime now.

The wholesale price-based inflation in February rose to 13.11 per cent on hardening of prices of crude oil. WPI inflation has remained in double digits for the 11th consecutive month beginning April 2021.

Inflation last month was 12.96 per cent, while in February last year, it was 4.83 per cent.

In a statement, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said, the high rate of inflation in Feb 2022, is primarily due to rise in prices of mineral oils, basic metals, chemicals and chemical products, crude petroleum & natural gas, food articles and non-food articles etc… as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.

Also read: Fuel price hiked for 7th time in 8 days, petrol crosses Rs 100-mark in Delhi

According to experts, one of the main reasons vegetable prices are increasing so steadily is that the cost of transportation has increased.

Meanwhile, petrol and diesel prices were hiked again by 80 paise a litre each on Wednesday, taking the total increase in rates to Rs 10 per litre in 16 days. Petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 105.41 per litre as against 104.61 yesterday, while diesel rates have gone up from Rs 95.87 per litre to 96.677, according to a price notification of state fuel retailers.

On Tuesday, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri Tuesday defended the fuel price hike and comparing it with that of other countries, saying that India has merely seen a change of “only 5 per cent”.

“Fuel prices hiked in India are 1/10th of the change of prices in other countries. Comparing gasoline (petrol) prices between April 2021 and March 2022, the prices in the United States of America (USA) have increased by 51 per cent, Canada by 52 per cent, Germany by 55 per cent, the United Kingdom (UK) by 55 per cent, France by 50 per cent, Spain 58 per cent but in India only 5 per cent,” Puri in Lok Sabha.

With inputs from agencies