Letters: Price puzzle

This refers to the editorial “Hunger for ideas” (January 31). It cannot be denied that the exorbitant rise in the prices of essential commodities in the recent past has been a saga of agony for the masses. The question is, who is to be held accountable for this mess? Why is the price peril a dilemma for a government that is run by erudite and “foreign varsities educated gold medalist” economists? Undoubtedly, price determination is a matter of market mechanism of demand and supply. But unfortunately, prices are sometimes manipulated by hoarders. The government needs to be vigilant against such unscrupulous activities. Our agricultural policy also needs some radical reforms so that we can brave climate vagaries. We desperately need another Green Revolution to increase the net yield of foodgrain. Moreover, the Food Corporation of India needs to be reoriented to better preserve foodgrain. The public distribution system should be revamped to make it more effective so that nearly 37 per cent of below-poverty-line beneficiaries could progress. However, the rise in incomes of the lower segment of the society due to various welfare schemes cited as a reason for this price rise is not a healthy alibi.

Shreeprakash Sharma, Samastipur