Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced a crackdown on black market operations and hoarding ahead of the Onam festival season.
Mr. Vijayan said the government had noticed that some retailers were fuelling inflation by pushing up the price of perishables and essential commodities to wring profits.
He said there was a striking discrepancy in the price of essential commodities and perishables across the State.
Mr. Vijayan ordered the Legal Metrology Department to inspect measuring and weighing instruments used in trade and commerce to ensure that consumers got their money’s worth.
He ordered District Collectors to inspect markets under their jurisdiction. They should review the price of essential commodities weekly.
Mr. Vijayan mandated the Chief Secretary to call a meeting of different departments to cobble together a strategy to mitigate the cost of living crisis. He tasked the police to collect intelligence on hoarding and prosecute the culprits.
The government ordered that traders compulsorily display the price list before their respective establishments.
Mr. Vijayan asked Horticrop and Consumerfed to ratchet up their market intervention strategies to keep inflation under control and insulate household budgets from price raise.
He asked cooperative societies to open Onam festival season fairs and markets. The Chief Minister also insisted on quality control and food safety inspections.
The meeting came against the backdrop of worrying reports about the rise in price of essential commodities and perishables, given the disruptively heavy rains in food-growing regions in neighbouring States.
Kerala being a consumer State, the scarcity of produce in such regions could drive up living costs and jeopardise the State’s food security.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister G. R Anil, Cooperation Minister V. N.Vasavan, Revenue Minister K. Rajan, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad, and Chief Secretary V. Venu attended the meeting.
