Price hike of essentials
Photo: STAR
In the last general election, the ruling Awami League had pledged to keep the prices of essentials within the reach of the common man. But we notice with great frustration that the govt. has miserably failed to control the rise in the prices of all the essential commodities. A TCB report says that the prices of rice and wheat increased by 44% and 52% respectively in a single year. Prices of edible oil also rose by 35%. Likewise, prices of all other essentials commodities like pulses, egg, sugar and milk powder have registered a sharp rise in recent days. At present, coarse rice is selling at Tk. 33 per kg, whereas it was Tk. 28 only a few months ago. The poor and the people belonging to fixed-income group are groaning under the heavy wheels of spiralling prices. But the govt. has so far been unable to protect them. We hear of the existence of syndicates of unscrupulous traders who are involved in price manipulation. But the govt. has so far failed to thwart them. Why? Are these syndicates more powerful than the govt.? The govt. should massively expand the OMS programme all over the country, reactivate the TCB and immediately evolve a strict monitoring system to bring stability in market. The Awami League led grand alliance govt. must keep its election pledge to keep the prices of all essential commodities within the reach of the common people. The continuous price hike of essentials may blur all other plus points of the govt.
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