The need for better market management is being sorely felt during the excessive escalation in prices of essential commodities. But the Delhi Government's ambitious proposal for a market intelligence and forecasting cell remains on paper after six years.
As retail prices of onions hit the roof — at Rs 70-80 a kg — the Government has not even managed to appoint a consultant to devise a mechanism for food price monitoring.Experts are predicting the bulb could remain out of reach for a majority of families for a couple of months now — a cause for serious concern in the run-up to the festive season. Government outlets are, however, selling onion at Rs 50 per kg to ease the burden on the middle class.
Sources told The Pioneer that the Delhi Cabinet had, on June 4, 2007, decided to set up a market intelligence cell in the Foods & Civil Supplies Department, after it failed to assess price rise of vegetables, fruits and other essential commodities. Strangely, after failing to find a suitable candidate to head this cell, the department has dumped the proposal, unable to implement its own decision.
The cell was supposed to study the impact on prices of natural and unnatural calamities in areas of production and collect comprehensive information with respect to each commodity. It would monitor price trend of 12 items — rice, pulses, fresh fruits, potato, sugar, fish, wheat, fresh vegetables, onion, milk, eggs and poultry.
Meanwhile, the Congress leadership is worried, as price rise will seriously dent their image before the aam admi, who have been voting the party to power since 1998. At that time, the Congress — under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit —made it an electoral issue and pushed the Sushma Swaraj-led BJP Government out of power in Delhi. November will see Assembly elections in Delhi again.