Dip in prices of pulses shows the big role played by local authorities to check hoarding

NEW DELHI: The decline in prices of pulses across the cities in the past one week after state governments cracked down on hoarders and held meetings with both wholesale and retail traders has pointed to how local authorities have a bigger role to play in checking food prices.

On an average, prices have decreased by at least Rs 18 per kg in the case of arhar between October 19 and November 2 (Monday). The sharpest decline has been recorded in Puducherry by Rs 40 a kg. "The prices will reduce further when the seized pulses is released and sold through fair price shops. More than the anti-hoarding drive, the state governments working out a strategy to make pulses available at lesser price has helped a lot in taming the prices," said a government official.

Till Monday, over 1.3 lakh tonnes of pulses had been confiscated from the stockists after the Centre amended norms and asked states to act. Sources said that though the consumer affairs ministry had been writing regularly to the states to implement the stock limit norms and regulate the prices, most of the major pulses producing states took little action until the cabinet secretary intervened and asked chief secretaries to act.

"Only state governments and local authorities can take action under the Essential Commodities Act. Once the major producers such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka imposed the stock limits, prices declined. The trend will continue," said a government official.

He added this has indicated how states need to play a bigger role rather than the Centre being squarely blamed for the price rise.

According to the consumer affairs department, states including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra held meetings with wholesalers to make available pulses in the retail market at reasonable price. While in some of the states pulses are sold through government and cooperative outlets, others such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are distributing pulses at subsidised rates through the public distribution system (PDS).