Prahlad Joshi will have to succeed in controlling food inflation

11-Jun-2024 08:07 PM

New Delhi. Five-time BJP MP Prahlad Joshi, who worked as the Minister of Coal and Parliamentary Affairs in the previous government, has this time been given the responsibility of the Ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution as well as the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

For the last several months, the graph of food inflation in the country has been running very high. Some people say that food inflation is also one of the reasons for BJP getting less than a majority of seats.

Actually, not only the prices of rice, wheat (flour) and coarse grains are running high, but the prices of all food products including pulses,

oilseeds and sugar and even spices are also in the grip of rise. It is true that every possible effort was made by the Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs to control food inflation,

which includes banning the export of white rice, wheat and its products and sugar etc., taking it out of the scope of import duty to increase the supply of pulses and pulses and also the measure of imposing minimum level import duty on edible oils,

but its expected result could not come out. Food inflation in the domestic sector remains at a very high level. The new Food Minister will have to make efforts to make the scheme related to food distribution inclusive in collaboration with the states. Apart from this, managing food subsidy is also an important challenge.

The Prime Minister has already announced that the free ration distribution scheme will continue for the next five years.

For this, the Food Minister will always have to keep adequate stock of food grains (rice and wheat) in the central pool.

A new strategy will be required to bring down the high prices of pulses and edible oils because on the one hand its production is falling short of domestic demand and requirement,

on the other hand the Prime Minister is emphasizing on the need to reduce dependence on its import from abroad. The coming time is going to be very challenging.