To rein in soaring onion prices, the West Bengal government has started selling the vegetable at a price of Rs 36/kg from mobile vans at select city markets.
"At the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state's Horticulture and Food Processing department has started selling the products from today at nine select market places across the city from the vehicles," Minister of State Food Processing Subrata Saha told PTI here.
The move followed the soaring onion prices in the open market at Rs 60/kg.
The markets include Gariahat, Lake Market, Chetla Bazar, Kalighat Bazar, Maniktala Bazar, Shyambazar, Hatibagan and Salt Lake Karunamoyee.
The initiative, which will be run for 10 days, will also include the business district on the holidays, he said.
"In the B B D Bagh area (business district) the vans will be stationed near the GPO, Lalbazar and Writers Building," he said.
Every customer will be given 500 grams of onion at a time at a price of Rs 18, he said.
The initiative follows the sale of ginger in select markets in the metropolis against a rate of Rs 100/kg, half of the current open market price.
Saha said the ginger initiative has been launched seven days back.
