The much expected price of essential commodities will come down once Modi govt takes over in New Delhi looks today a mirage for the common man. Almost an year is over and the promise to relieve people from the clutches of high prices made by BJP leaders during the last Parliamentary as well as State assembly elections remain unfulfilled. There may be a decline in prices outside Jammu and Kashmir but State has no respite from the spiraling prices especially vegetable and other essentials for common man. Just continuing with the blame game no government will be able to reign in the upward trend of prices of essential commodities. Govt has to think out of boxes to arrest the galloping prices and Union Government should remove enlisting of essentials like cereals, grains, sugar, oil seeds from the commodity market speculation band so that price manipulation and profiteering through speculations can be checked. Govt should intensify drive against hoardings and declare it as non-bailable offence. The price rise trend shows as if BJP after coming to power is allowing the trade, industrial and agri lobby to take back their profits from their investment in the party. The issue on which Congress-led UPA lost the electoral battle to BJP-led NDA too is finding difficult to check and continuing it to go further upward gives credence to the election funding theory. A change in planning perspective will surely bring in better dividends especially when forces should be on micro level than on macro level. To some extent the rising costs of food items sparks from delays, wastage in storage, lack of good support price have been some of the causes for poor agri growth. There is a need for concerted effort from state as well as Central Govts to proactively mount an advance action plan to counter negative market forces and bring in transparency in the food grain trade system. A farmer-inclusive agriculture production system which rewards the grower rather than the middle man can only save common man from the onslaught of price rise.
