With a view to keeping tab on prices and to ensure availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices the Government owned Puducherry Agro Products, Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (PAPSCO) has opened a special Deepavali bazaar for the forthcoming festival.
Objective
The objective of the bazaar is to rein in prices through market intervention and provide essential commodities and other groceries at a lesser price than one normally finds in the market.
All essential commodities would be available at the PAPSCO Deepavali bazaar, said Chief Minister N. Rangasamy.
One can get leading brand refined oil at Rs.70 a litre and toor dhal at Rs.140 per kg at the bazaar.
One kg of split bengal gram (kadalai paruppu) is being sold at Rs.72, roasted gram (pottu kadalai) at Rs.84, whole black gram at Rs.140, jaggery at Rs.40.
Subsidised rates
As many as 11 items are being sold at subsidised rates. The price of sugar would be maintained at the current level of Rs.27 per kg while palm oil would be available at Rs.45 per litre.
Crackers are also being sold at 18 per cent above the purchase price while retailers sell crackers above 100 percent. Last year’s PAPSCO Deepavali Bazaar saw sales of Rs. 11 crore.
This year, we expect to exceed the target. PAPSCO has set up these bazaars at seven places in Puducherry including Villilanur, Madagadipet, Thirukanur, Ariyankuppam, Kalmandapam, Bahour and Karikalambakkam and two places in Karaikal, said a senior official of PAPSCO.
The bazaar would be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. till November 9 at the Puducherry Regulatory Market Complex on the East Coast Road near the Rajiv Gandhi square.
Rate of toor dhal
Later talking to reporters, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy expressed concern over the high rate of toor dhal in the market and said the Government had come forward to supply toor dhal and black gram at Rs.140 a kg to ease the situation. Cardholders can get one kg of toor dhal and black gram at subsidised rates after producing their ration cards at the bazaar.
The Government has also advanced the disbursement of old age pension to beneficiaries to November 5 as against the normal date of November 10. Free dhotis and sarees will also be distributed to members of the Adi-dravidar community from November 2, he said.
