Sonowal for price stabilisation of essential items

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has directed comprehensive measures for price stabilisation of essential commodities in the state.

To ensure stabilisation of prices of essential commodities and generating greater consumer awareness, Sonowal directed the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to prepare a road map and take up comprehensive measures.

Reviewing the activities of the department in a meeting yesterday, Sonowal directed the department to keep a stock of essential items including perishable items like potato and onion for public distribution to meet shortage during emergency situations.

He asked the department to make an assessment of requirement of perishable items mostly during monsoon period and tie up with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NEFED) for their procurement.

He also directed the department to take up steps for setting up cold storages under PPP mode in the state where a provision of Rs 50 crore has been made in the current budget to meet any emergency situation.

The chief minister also emphasised on generating more awareness among consumers and inform them about comparative prices of essential items available in the country through different mass media including digital medium.

He said that sharing information on prices of commodities and its comparative information through different media platforms with consumers would boost public confidence in the department.

Underscoring the need for taking up more innovative measures by the department, Sonowal directed to implement Amar Dukan on Wheel in all the 97 towns of the state on a priority basis simultaneously and promote digital payment in their transactions.

Sonowal appreciated the department on the implementation of Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the state under which subsidised LPG connections have been provided to 9.18 lakh households during 2017-18.

Under the scheme, a target is set to provide subsidised connection to 30 lakh households in the state.