The youth wing of the Samajwadi Party, on Saturday, set up a counter in Varanasi where they gave onions on loan. People can 'mortgage' their Aadhar cards as security and take onions.
BISCOMAUN officials were seen wearing helmets at counters as they suspect stone-pelting and stampedes at the counters. Rohit Kumar, an official selling subsidized onions said, "there have been instances of stone-pelting and stampedes, so this was our only option. No security has been provided to us."
The soaring price of onions has taken a toll on the onion-rich food items such as Irulli Dosa in hotels here and in surrounding areas. Presently, the onions are being sold between Rs 80 and Rs 120 per kg depending on the quality.
Last week, the Union Cabinet decided to import 1.2 lakh tonnes of onions to improve the domestic supply and control prices, which touched Rs 100 per kg earlier this month.
The Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to the Food Ministry's recent decision to import 1.2 lakh tonnes of onions in a bid to improve the domestic availability of the key kitchen staple and check prices.
The Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday extended relaxed fumigation norms for imported onions up to December 31, in a bid to improve domestic supply and check prices that have skyrocketed up to Rs 100 per kg.
While state-owned trading firm MMTC will import onions, cooperative Nafed will supply the key kitchen staple in the domestic market. This decision was taken at a meeting of a committee of secretaries held on Saturday
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.
Two Inter Ministerial teams are to be dispatched on Wednesday and Thursday to Karnataka and Rajasthan to take stock of the onion supplies and encourage the supplies to consuming regions including Delhi-NCR.
Bizarre though it may sound but a man in Lucknow has been robbed of onions, garlic and tomatoes. The soaring prices of these vegetables apparently have a lot to do with the theft.
Retail prices of onion and tomatoes have been ruling high in the Delhi-NCR market on supply constraints. Tomato prices reached up to Rs 80 per kg while onion was costing Rs 60 per kg last week.
The event was held outside the Delhi Secretariat, which was attended by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain and several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders.
The Delhi government on Friday had announced the onions in the city will be sold at Rs 23.90 per kg through mobile vans and at ration shops from Saturday.
Onion grower Rahul Bajirao Pagar approached the police on Monday, saying he had kept a 'summer stock' of 25 tonne onions in 117 plastic crates at his store house in Kalwan taluka, police inspector Pramod Wagh said.
Onion price rise sharply, reches to Rs 60 and 80/kg in Delhi and Mumbai. The sharp rise in the price was made household women worried.
Amid protest, state-owned MMTC has barred suppliers from sourcing onions from Pakistan while modifying its tender for import of 2,000 tonnes of the key kitchen staple. Last week, MMTC had issued a tender for import of onions from Pakistan, Egypt, China, Afghanistan or any other origin which created uproar from farmers and political bodies.
In order to check onion price rise in the domestic market, the government has now designated a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of USD 850 per metric ton. This will help increase the supply of Onion in the domestic market and in turn, bring the prices down.
Due to the central government's intervention, state-run Mother Dairy and cooperative Nafed have started selling onion at a subsidised rate of Rs 23.90 per kg in the national capital to boost availability and curb price rise.
With predictions of a "below average" monsoon this year, which means a lower crop output, the Central government has asked procurement agencies to store at least 50,000 tonnes of onions to ensure that market prices remain under control in case of shortage.
Newly-harvested onions are selling at Rs 1.50-11a kg in the wholesale markets of Maharashtra and Rs 5-20 in retail. The highest rate is available only for very small quantities which are going for exports.
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