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PM calls for ban on the export of essential commodities |
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price rise,PM manmohan singh,chief ministers,states,essential items |
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 New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed for a temporary ban on the export of essential commodities to fight rising prices, and urged state governments to ensure that poor were not burdened. The meeting, being attended by the Chief Ministers of
most of the states, has been called in the backdrop of food
inflation which touched a decade high of 20 per cent in
December.
The sustained rise in food prices and the issue of inflation in general is troubling the ruling dispensation in view of the public mood which is turning from anger to hostility.
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Despite government efforts of liberalising imports to tone up supplies and ban exports of several items Prices of sugar, pulses and vegetables have skyrocketed
in the past few months.
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"We must ban export of these items," the prime minister said, while outlining the steps taken by his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government over the past several months, such as additional allocation of grain for distribution through fair price shops.
At the same time, he also urged state governments to invoke their respective Essential Commodities Maintenance Act to prevent hoarding and take strict action against those creating artificial scarcity . The prime minister said chief ministers must also remove all existing curbs on the processing of imported raw sugar, as some states like Uttar Pradesh had banned the entry of raw sugar into mills.
At the Congress working committee yesterday Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar came in for criticism with some of the members raising questions over his remarks pre-empting price rise in some items.
As the rise in essential food items was against the government's agenda of reassuring people. |
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Updated :
Saturday, 06 Feb 2010, 11:52 [IST] |
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