Rising prices of essential medicines and fuel figured prominently in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Members, who flagged these issues, urged the Government to immediately intervene and provide succor to the poor.

Raising the issue of high prices of medicines, two Rajya Sabha members also claimed the government was insensitive towards the common people.

John Brittas (CPM) said prices of more than 800 medicines are being increased by 11 per cent effective April 1 which will adversely impact the common man, and urged the government to withdraw the hike.

Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena) too joined the issue and urged the central government to provide relief on the front.  "I'm sad because the life of the common man is becoming tough and much more difficult. Today's April 1 and already the people are reeling under the price rise and every day petroleum price is going up.

"But today...Another unfortunate thing is going to happen. The wholesale price of drugs of more than 800 items, which are essential for our survival, is being increased by 11 per cent," Brittas said.

Terming the hike as unprecedented, the CPM member pointed out that there has never been such a steep increase in the prices of drugs in the past.

Emphasising that people's health budget has already gone up, Brittas said an increase in prices of common illnesses, like fever, infections, heart disease, and anaemia, would further impact them.

The member told the House that he too was ill and availed medical care because of the CGHS facility. "But think about the vast chunk of the population who doesn't have any social security or health insurance. What is their plight?" he wondered and urged the government to roll back the steep hike.

Chaturvedi pointed out that while petrol, diesel, cooking fuel and even food are already costly, medicines too have become dearer. She said the cost of living is increasing every day.

In a circular dated March 25, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority had said based on the wholesale price index, the annual change in the WPI works out as 10.76607 per cent during the calendar year 2021 over the preceding year.

Among other issues, Shanta Chhetri (TMC) demanded minority status for Hindus in Meghalaya.  She cited the Centre's assertion in the Supreme Court that states can consider granting Hindus minority status if they deem so.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the House, Chhetri said the Centre has told the Supreme Court that states can consider granting Hindus the minority status if the community is not in a majority within their jurisdiction.

If Hindus are in minority in a particular state they should be able to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice in keeping with the rights granted to the minority by the Constitution as per the Centre, she said.