Price rise is a real issue, common people are suffering

India of the masses is suffering from the unabated price rise of various commodities which craves attention of various governments.

The Central Government and the State Governments may have many things to say, but there can be no alibi, for the people would have no faith in shirking responsibility. What must be done is a co-ordinated effort by the Central Government and the State Governments to bring down the prices by a slew of measures.
What is worse is the situation on the food prices front which does not indicate much progress in declension.

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sharad Pawar, Home Minister P.Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalliah to take stock of the situation.

Action taken was stated at the meeting, and perhaps what is more to be done would be discussed at the next meeting. Everyone agrees with one thing; that the prices have skyrocketed and there was not much respite even after all the measures that have already been launched.

That means more drastic measures are required; like import in bulk quantity of items in short supply and strict vigil against hoarding and artificial creature of adverse conditions.

In the past centuries, India had suffered serious famines, millions had perished for want of life-sustaining food, even in meagre quantity.

That does not justify an India of the third millennium, poised to pop on to the Moon and Mars. Let us first take care of the food materials.