It was too late in the day on the part of the finance minister to issue directives to the chief ministers to ensure that the traders do not increase price of the essential commodities. The fact of the matter is that they had jacked up the price well before the advent of Ramadan as well as the announcement of the budget which they normally do every year. It is no use becoming wiser after an event.
Time was when the district price review committees headed by the deputy commissioners used to be active round the year. This is no longer the case. These Bodies have, over the years become non-entities. The district authorities no longer give them due importance in their scheme of things. They exist on paper only and do become active only on occasions like Ramadan and Eid only. The traders also no longer take them seriously. The price spiral which has affected badly a big segment of the society with a fixed monthly income could have been pre-empted had these district price review committees been in regular sessions every month round the year and had made their presence felt.
There has been tremendous increase in the price of essential commodities, lately. Milk, pulses, mutton, beef and fruit have registered such a big increase in their price that they are now out of the reach of the common man who simply cannot even think of purchasing them. In the past whenever the traders increased the price of consumer goods they tried to justify it by linking it to the increase in the price of petroleum goods. The present price spiral in edibles is, therefore, not justifiable even on this score too as the government has not made any increase in the price of petroleum goods.
It is the lack of good governance and mismanagement that has resulted in price spiral in consumer goods.
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