ALL talk of economic reforms and the so-called marching economy is nothing but eyewash. It is a bloated image conceived by politicians and armchair economists. How can these people curb prices when they themselves do not feel the pinch? Can a person getting a six-figure salary and bribe packets ever realise what it is like when the price of edible oils increase by Rs.20 a litre in a month? asks Biswanath Nanda, a retired high school headmaster in Berhampur town in Orissa.
The prices of vegetables have gone through the roof for the past six months. Worse is likely to come as traders may find it difficult to transport vegetables during the peak of summer, says Sarat Samal, a small businessman in Cuttack.
Roadside hotels, too, have revised their prices and worst affected by this are college students and people coming from far off places, says Sasmita Swain, a housewife in Bhubaneswar.
According to Sashibhushan Panda, a trader of forest produce and paddy, the sops declared by the Central government have had little impact on the local market. During the past few years the price of agricultural products and forest produce has not increased much for farmers and primary traders like me. But the price rise of essentials has burrowed into my profits. Panda adds: We usually never experience the reduction in the price of items proclaimed in the Union Budget but feel the pinch of price rise immediately.
Prafulla DasCOMMents
COMMents
SHARE