At a review meeting held by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday, the Delhi Government decided to facilitate selling of onions at around Rs 50 per kg at 1,000 points across the city from Saturday. The meeting was convened to discuss ways to curb the rising onion prices.
A total of 150 mobile vans will be deployed to sell onion across Delhi and each of the vehicles will visit four places in a locality which means coverage of 600 points. Besides this, the subsidised onions will be made available at 400 stores, including 280 Mother Dairy outlets.
The Government has also decided to keep an eye on other essential commodities such as sugar, pulses, and tomatoes in view of the festive season and Assembly elections.
Dikshit's office, in a Press statement, claimed that the wholesale prices of onion in Delhi is lesser than many cities like Karnal, Shimla, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
Onions at Government outlets and Mother Dairy is available Rs 50 per kg, while vegetable venders are selling the same between Rs 70 — 80 per kg.
The wholesale rate of onion at Azadpur mandi and other mandis was between Rs 35 — 50 per kg depending on the quality. On Friday, 1400 trucks of onions had arrived.
"We are selling onions on no-profit no-loss basis. The points would include outlets of Safal, Delhi Agriculture Marketing Board (DAMB), NAFED and 600 points to be covered by mobile vans," Food and Supplies Minister Harun Yusuf said.