New Delhi: With onion prices soaring all over in the country, the government on Wednesday brought onions and potatoes under the Essential Commodities Act. In order to curb stockpiling and hoarding, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has decided to enforce a stock limit on potatoes and onions for one year.
Blaming the previous UPA government for its ten years of misrule and the resultant high inflation, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The government will keep a close watch on stocks of onions, and other essentials foodgrains.”
The Cabinet minister said since there were a lot of complaints regarding hoarding of these two vegetables, with six states having confirmed the same, the government decided to include these two under the Essential Commodities Act.
“We hope that state governments will be able to deal effectively with the problem of hoarding. They have been directed to crack down on hoarders and we hope that this move will empower states over the hoarding issue,” he said.
Taking into account the weak monsoon, 5 million tonnes of rice will also be released for BPL and APL families.