PROTEST OVER ONIONS

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday stepped up its attack against the central government over the increasing prices of onion, demanding adequate rates to farmers and action against hoarders. Amee Yajnik, Supriya Shrinate and Chhaya Verma from the opposition party highlighted the “failure” on the part of the government to check rising prices of onion. In several parts of the country, onions were sold at over ~100 per kg on Friday. “Onion prices have really rocked the country. It has played with the budget of families. The government should think why the prices have soared without the farmers getting any benefit. Middlemen are making money,” Shrinate said. Assam Congress MLAS reached the state assembly wearing garlands of onions a mark of protest. Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday on the issue. He said every year the central government should make a minimum purchase of approximately 5 lakh tonnes of onions and maintain its buffer stock. An official of the consumer affairs ministry said an inter-ministerial panel led by Union home minister Amit Shah was monitoring availability of onions and their prices, which have touched ~100 again. “The Cabinet secretary and a committee of secretaries are also keeping an eye on the situation and suitable policy interventions are being undertaken based on the deliberations,” he said. The government was making all efforts to get onion stocks from Egypt, Turkey and Netherlands, the minister said. The first shipments are expected in the first week on December, added the official.