Haryana Government on Tuesday urged the Centre to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to check increase in prices of essential commodities.A multi-pronged strategy should be adopted including maintaining equilibrium between supply and demand of essential commodities and, if required, these items might be imported, stringent laws should be enacted to check hoarding and a formulation of a long term scheme to increase production, said Haryana Food and Supplies Minister Ram Bilas Sharma at a meeting of Food and Supplies Ministers and Secretaries of States on increase in prices of essential commodities and foodgrains in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The meeting was presided over by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan.Haryana Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said the National Food Security Act 2013 has already been enforced in the entire State since January 2014. The State Government was also implementing ‘Daal-Roti Scheme’ in its true spirit.He said the food security of any nation depends on two aspects. First, the production of foodgrains should be enough to meet the requirement of its population and secondly, the produced foodgrains should be distributed in a transparent manner among the economically backward persons so that the benefit of the scheme must percolate to the real beneficiaries.
While suggesting that the Centre and the States can have a joint strategy on production, supply, distribution of essential commodities and management of export-import of agricultural products, Ram Bilas Sharma stressed the need to increase production to check increasing prices.The Minister said that he would like to assure the Centre that in Haryana, various regional agencies and district administration are keeping a constant vigil on increasing prices so that no anti-social element indulges in artificial shortage, storage and black-marketing of essential commodities.
He said that although there has been an increase in prices of potatoes and onions during last couple of months, there is no shortage in their availability in Haryana.The increase in prices of essential commodities is an issue of concern for Haryana.Haryana being adjacent to the national capital, the increase in prices makes its instant impact felt in the state. Therefore, I urge the Centre take effective steps so as to maintain the supply line of these essential commodities, he added.
Sharma said that during last few years, the production of wheat and rice has increased in Haryana because of modern agricultural practices. The state achieved 113.99 lakh metric tonnes of production, out of this 67.53 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was contributed to the Central pool.During Kharif 2014, the farmers of Haryana produced 57.78 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. Out of it, 29.98 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was purchased and 19.73 lakh metric tonnes of rice was contributed to Central pool.The Minister also made it clear that there is no shortage of foodgrains in Haryana and according to the stock report as on June 15, 2015, there was 80.49 lakh metric tonnes of wheat and 3.19 lakh metric tonnes of rice.