Government today came under attack from the opposition on the issue of price rise with members alleging failure of its macro-economic policies in controlling the spiralling prices particularly of pulses.
Citing examples of onion, pulses and tomatoes, TMC MP Saugata Roy said although the government says that inflation has come down, but the prices of essential commodities have continued to rise.
He said the government has not been able to pass on the benefit of declining global fuel prices to the consumer.
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"There is a problem with macro-management. Fuel prices have gone down, but rather than passing on the benefit to people, the Finance Minister sees fuel as a milch cow," Roy said during a debate on price rise in the Lok Sabha.
On pulses, he said the government should ensure timely import of the commodity in order to keep the prices under control. "I think one major step would be import on time and that too from countries which are closer to ours, like Myanmar," he said, adding that pulses prices are already very high and was expected to be the steepest this year.
Roy asked the government to elaborate the steps taken to boost the production of pulses and edible oil in order to contain their prices in the domestic market, saying there was no proper mechanism for procurement of pulses in the country.
Demanding implementation of recommendation of the M S Swaminathan committee for establishment of "pulses villages", he said farmers were not growing more pulses because of the huge price fluctuation.
He said the government has reduced expenditure on agriculture sector and unless it is increased and said steps should also be taken to increase production of edible oil.
He suggested that the Centre ask states to undertake dehoarding drive vigorously and take quick policy decision "because next year also, there will be problems".
BJD leader B Mahtab too said price rise was due to domestic structural problems. While the average prices of vegetables earlier were less than Rs 10, it was now not going below Rs 30.
Observing that the problem of high pulses prices was "more manmade than natural", he said traders were buying pulses from other countries and hoarding them and waiting for the domestic prices to rise.
To this, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said there was truth in this and the government was concerned over it. Paswan also sought suggestions to deal with the issue.
