After prices soar, Congress workers protest wearing onion garlands
The Congress workers on Thursday protested wearing garlands made of onions at the Delhi Secretariat against the state government. The protest was held over the issue of increasing onion prices.
Within one week, the retail price of onions has risen by 45 percent to Rs 80 per kg in the national capital despite the central government's measures to boost supply and contain price rise.
According to the official data, the rates stood at Rs 55/kg on October 1. Onion prices are ruling high for more than a month in Delhi-NCR due to supply disruption following heavy rains in growing states like Maharashtra.
As per the data, there has been an almost a three-fold jump in onion prices from the year-ago period. Onions were sold at Rs 30-35/kg in retail markets in November 2018.
Not only in Delhi, but onion prices are also ruling high in most of the consuming areas across the country. Interestingly in Delhi onion has been a "politically sensitive" commodity.
The government has decided to facilitate private imports from Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran and even liberalize phytosanitary and fumigation norms.
Private traders have informed the government that 80 containers of imported onions have reached Indian ports and 100 containers are in high seas and can be diverted to India, the official said.
(With inputs from agencies)
