Suresh Sharma, 45, a shopowner residing in sector 7 Panchkula, would set side around Rs 5,000 from his monthly income for grocery in the beginning of this year. However, as the year nears end, his income, around Rs 30,000 a month, has remained static but the expenditure on grocery and vegetables alone has seen a 50 per cent jump.

Worse, the recent statement of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar offering no respite from the surge in prices of food items has further dashed his hopes.

“The expenditure on food items alone crosses Rs 7,500 now, how can we cut on the expenses on food? It has severely affected the household budget,” says Sharma, bearing the deep dent in the pocket that all Indian homes have felt in the last couple of months.

Suresh’s wife Anjana, a homemaker, says: “Pulses are the worst hit. Arhar dal is around Rs 95 a kg, moong dal has increased from Rs 60 to Rs 80 a kg in just few weeks. Potatoes, which were less than Rs 5 a kg, are now over Rs 25. I now buy vegetables from street vendors after maximum bargaining and avoid supermarkets where prices are slightly higher.”

“The problem is while the food items’ prices have gone up, there is nothing whose prices have gone down,” Anjana says, adding that their other household expenses have not shown decline.

Naturally, the anger is directed towards the government. “The government should be proactive in dealing with the situation, they simply can’t blame it on bad monsoon. Rampant hoarding of items like sugar and potatoes is going on. If the government keeps a check, the situation will improve,” Suresh says.

... contd.