The government is leaving no stone unturned to reign in the prices of pulses that have sky-rocketed in the recent past.
As a part of the measures, the government carried out raids across ten states to seize imported pulses from hoarders. According to sources having knowledge of the matter, more than 50,000 tonnes of pulses have already been confiscated by government officials. More than 15,000 tonnes were seized on Friday alone.
“Raids to check hoarding are continuing in various states. About 7,033 tonnes of lentils were seized from Maharashtra, 5,487 tonnes from Karnataka, 2,051 tonnes from Rajasthan and 764 tonnes from Haryana,” a government official disclosed.
Despite these measures, the retail prices of pulses refuse to abate. The retail price of urad is Rs 190/kg, moong dal Rs 130/kg and the price of masoor dal is hovering around Rs 110/kg.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley held parleys with importers to assess the situation. As part of the agreement, the importers have agreed to supply 1 lakh kg of imported tur dal at a reduced price of Rs 135 per kg. However, the importers are demanding an exemption on the holding limits imposed on them.
Praveen Dongre, Chairman of Indian Pulses and Grains Association , averred that removal of limits on stock keeping will improve supply and will enable prices to come down.
The finance minister also assessed measures taken by various state governments to thwart dealers from hoarding pulses.
