New Delhi: The Centre has taken several steps to control price rise, mainly of food items, all over the country including in the landlocked Northeastern region, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Raosaheb Patil told Rajya Sabha member from Meghalaya Wansuk Syiem on Friday.
The government is aware that rising prices hurts the lower income group of society, the Minister said. “Measures taken to contain prices of essential commodities include – import prices reduced to zero on rice, wheat pulses, edible oils (crude) and onions…,” Patil said in the Rajya Sabha.
Among other measures taken by the government to control inflation, he mentioned the ban on export of edible oils and pulses, suspension of futures trading in rice, urad and tur dal and extension of stock limit orders in case of pulses and rice.
Patil also said the government has reduced import duty on skimmed milk powder, petrol and diesel and customs duty on crude oil.
There are many other measures taken by the Government to control prices of food grains and released additional stock of such essential items, Wansuk was told. She was concerned over rising prices in the country as a whole and in the NE region in particular.