Tamil Nadu sheds tears as onion prices shoot up to Rs 200 per kilo in Madurai

Skyrocketing onion prices across the country are causing people to shed real tears as rates continue to soar week after week. In Tamil Nadu, onion rates have crossed double century and are now being sold for Rs. 200 per kilo in areas like Madurai. This has caused grief not only to the consumers but also to the traders who have seen a sharp decline in their onion sales and profits. 

Read | WB: Onion prices skyrocket, touch Rs 110 at Siliguri's Bidhan Market

Prices of onion in many places across the country have crossed Rs 100 per kg and are only progressing upwards. Onion prices soared above Rs 200 per kg for some grades in the Solapur market of Maharashtra. Prices touched Rs 100 per kg in Ludhiana in Punjab and over Rs 110 per kg in West Bengal’s Siliguri market. Nirmala Sitharaman had said in the Lok Sabha that the government had taken several steps to check rising prices of onion and had also initiated steps to improve technology for better storage of the kitchen staple.

Read | Forget gold and jewellery, thieves now steal onions

The prices of onions is expected to come down by December end or by the first week of January, according to Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister R P Swain. Attributing shortage to low production, Nirmala Sitharaman had said that there were severe "structural problems" related to onions. Recently 11,000 tonnes of onions were imported from Turkey to help ease the situation.

Read | Ludhiana: Onion prices hit Rs 100/kg, sellers express displeasure

Case filed against Ram Vilas Paswan

A criminal complaint case was filed against Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in Muzaffarpur Civil Court on Saturday for "misleading and cheating" people on the rise in the price of onions. Nayyar, a resident of Muzaffarpur town, said that Paswan had failed to check onion prices despite being the union minister for consumer affairs, food, and public distribution. The petitioner said that Paswan has misled people through his statement that the price of the vegetable has gone up due to its black marketing. The case was filed under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 379 (punishment for theft) of the Indian Penal Code.

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