Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha: 'I don't eat a lot of onion'

With the hike in prices of onions, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that she doesn't eat much of onion or garlic. Furthermore, she added that she comes from a family where these two vegetables are not regularly used in meals. Sithraman had, however, apprised Parliament that the government has taken a host of measures including imports to deal with the rising prices of onions. Her remarks on her personal eating habits were followed by the interruptions by some opposition members at a time when she was speaking on the onion issue.

"I don't eat much of onion-garlic. I come from such a family which doesn't have much to do with onion," she said.

Furthermore, Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised on the government's policy for the benefit of onion farmers.

"From 2014, I have been part of some group of ministers which monitors the up's and down in onion market. Sometimes when there is a surplus of the crop, we have also facilitated by giving support to those people who want to import. I have overnight passed orders for helping with 5 to 7 per cent assistance for exporting", she said.

The Finance Minister also remarked the reduction in the area of cultivation and production as one of the main reasons for the increase in the price of onions.

READ: Government taking steps to check onion prices: Nirmala Sitharaman

READ: Madhya Pradesh: Rs 30,000 worth of onion crop stolen from farmer's field

Cabinet Secretary reviews situation on soaring onion prices

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday chaired a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries to review the issue of rising prices of onions across the country. In a video conference held with the Chief Secretaries of the 11 major onion producing states, the Gauba was briefed about the various steps being taken by the States to tackle the rising prices of onions. Chief Secretaries from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana participated in the video conference.

READ: Onion price reaches Rs 11,000 per quintal mark in Nashik

READ: In heated Economy debate, Nirmala Sitharaman fires 'Jija' jibe at Opposition

(With inputs from ANI)