The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : TDP warns of threat to food security

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 07, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

TDP warns of threat to food security

Special Correspondent

‘Three economists of repute -- Manmohan Singh, Chidambaram and M.S. Ahluwalia -- have let down the people’

HYDERABAD: Former MP and spokesperson of the Telugu Desam Party C. Ramachandraiah has warned of an acute scarcity of foodgrains and other essential commodities and continued skyrocketing of prices in the next six months.

At a press conference here on Sunday, he lambasted both the Central and State Governments for failing to take steps to regulate prices. “Three economists of repute -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission M.S. Ahluwalia -- have let down the people,” he said, terming the Government’s recent steps as only ‘knee-jerk reactions’. He described Cabinet decisions of March 31 to control inflation as ‘half-hearted attempts’ which could not solve the problem in its entirety and charged the powers-that-be with ‘absolute lack of vision’. The decision to raise the cash reserve ratio would not help.

Alarming situation

The seven per cent inflation sent alarming signals, he said. While population grew at two per cent, the foodgrains production in the country had seen only a 0.9 per cent increase. While prices of edible oils had shot up by 40 per cent, it was 20 per cent in the case of rice, pulses and dairy products.

While the Government was importing wheat at Rs. 1,600 a quintal, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was trying to procure wheat from farmers at a mere Rs. 800, he said. With local procurement lacking, the PDS was the worst-affected.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh