NHRCCB seeks immediate intervention of Supply Minister on price hike of vegetables

JAMUGURIHAT: In Assam, where about 32 per cent of the population is below the poverty line, the soaring prices of vegetables, one of the daily needs, have hampered these families from having a handful of food a day. Every meal is now scarce for the economically disadvantaged people.

Today, if a person goes to the market to buy vegetables, he will need about one thousand rupees to fill his bag which needs three hundred in the recent past in case of buying vegetables. This is due to the uncontrolled price hike of these commodities in the market in recent days. The National Human Rights and Crime Control Bureau (NHRCCB) State President Nishant Thard has sent a letter to Assam Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass seeking immediate intervention in this issue.

In a statement sent to this newspaper, through State Media Officer Mrinmay Kumar Nath, the State President said the price hike of vegetables had increased two to three times in just one month. They also urged the minister to look into whether any middlemen and dishonest stockists are involved in this matter. The State President of the NHRCCB expressed surprise at the parallel increase in the prices of locally produced goods besides imported goods, as such goods do not have any tax factors. In addition, the area wise price differences are also a cause for concern, he said.

At the same time, the organization State Patron Tilak Chand Handique has sent a letter to Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta amid news of the introduction of plastic lentils in the market. In this letter, he said that the Guwahati High Court on March 17, 2023 ordered the establishment of special authority in the capital city to determine the quality and purity of vegetables by conducting departmental random checking. They are urged to take effective action on the directive. Similarly, this measure should be taken in district headquarters to help reduce the prevalence of counterfeit goods in the state and to complete a test on the application of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and play a special role in providing pure and healthy food to the people of Assam. The patrons of the organization hoped that the completion of this work would also bring the stockists and traders under control.

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