August 1, 2022
Kalyan Banerjee’s speech during the discussion on price rise
Hon. Chairman, being a Member of Parliament, you would be following the proceedings of the two Houses of
Parliament very well. We all know that from the 15th Lok Sabha to the 17th Lok Sabha, the issue of price hike was discussed nearly 70 times in Lok Sabha, and about 11 times in Rajya Sabha. However, the Central Government has been incapable of arresting the price hike during these regimes – the 15th, 16th and 17th Lak Sabhas. I was hearing the speech of one hon. Member saying that because of COVID-19, the price hike is there. May I ask a question to this House that before COVID-19 whether price hike was not there in the country? Has inflation not increased in the country? What did you do? Now, another alibihas come. The alibi is that because of Ukraine and Russia battle, the world market has gone down and price hike is there. Okay. Before Ukraine and Russia battle began,
was there not a price hike? आपनेकभी नहीं बोला। वल्डा मेंसभी देशों के साथ अच्छा ररलेशनटशप है, इसटलए हमारा देश अच्छा चलता ह, ै यह आपनेनहीं बोला। आपनेबोला टक हमारे नरन्ेर मोदी जी के द्वारा देश अच्छा चला। आपनेयह सब कभी नहीं बोला और अभी आप बोल रहे हैंटक because of Ukraine and Russia battle, the market, the economy, everything has gone down. वैसा आपनेकभी नहीं बोला। The International Monetary Fund is calling on Governments to focus on giving support packages to those who need it the most to avoid triggering recession. It is a fact that out of 130 crore people, over 97 crore Indians – or about 71 per cent of the country’s population – are unable to afford nutritious food in our country itself. All limits of price rise have been crossed when the Government imposed GST on packaged food items like milk, dahi, lassi, chura, muri, paneer and other nutritional food items which has seriously affected the intake of the consumers. India has become world’s top milk producer with a minimum profit in this sector in the country. But this policy will soon help big players to enter into the sector which will adversely affect small dairy farmers of the country. Milk consumers are price conscious. Milk with muri, chura, sattu and milk products being essential consumables, the Government should rollback their decision. Due to 12 per cent GST on condensed milk, butter, ghee, and cheese, the
wholesale price inflation for milk product rises to 20.33 per cent in June 2022 against 6.96 per cent in June 2021
Rising food prices have become painful to us where 42 per cent of household incomes are spent on food in India. India’s wholesale price inflation also runs at 30-year high; 2021-22 has become the year with the highest
average yearly wholesale price increase in the past decade with an increase of 13 per cent. All the records have been crossed. हमारे70 वषाऔर उसके70 वषाको आप छोड़ दीटजए। अभी देश के आदमी का क्या हो रहा है, उसको आप देटखए। Much of this increase is driven by fuel prices, which accounted for 25 per cent of the jump in wholesale prices. Prices of manufactured products are contributing 60 per cent to the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). Sir, I will give details regarding just a few items or commodities that we all use every day. The inflation rate for primary articles in June 2021 was 8.59 per cent; it has increased to 19.22 per cent in June 2022. The inflation rate for cereals was (-) 2.77 per cent in June 2021; it has increased to 7.99 per cent in June 2022. The inflation rate for wheat in June 2021 was (-)1.77 per cent; it has increased to 10.34 per cent in June 2022. The inflation rate of vegetables was -0.78 per cent in June 2021. It has now risen to 56.75 per cent. Some hon. Member was talking about tomatoes. You should first look at potato and then we will come to tomato. In June 2021, the inflation rate of potato was -31.09 per cent. It has increased to 39.38 per cent in June 2022. In the month of June 2021, the inflation rate of fruits was 6.96 per cent, and it has now increased to 20.33 per cent in June, 2022. I now come to the most important commodity of fuel and power, in which case the inflation rate in June 2021 was 29.32 per cent, and it has now increased to 40.38
per cent. The inflation rate in the case of cement, lime, and plaster has increased from 2.13 per cent in June 2021 to 9.16 per cent in June, 2022. As per NSO, the consumer food price inflation for rural areas was 3.94 per cent in March, 2021. It went up to 8.04 per cent in March, 2022. Similarly,the CPI inflation for rural India has gone up to 7.66 per cent in 2022, from 4.61 per cent in March, 2021. These figures belong to two years of your regime.
Please see, within one year how much it has increased. Poor or rural households, in general, are actually not getting food within their expenditure basket due to high prices, which is a sign of deep distress, particularly among the poor population. Rural inflation was recorded at 7.09 per cent in June, while urban inflation was 6.92 per cent.
The average annual food expenditure per household across India has risen from Rs.24,650 in 2014-15 to Rs.28,870 in 2020-21. वषा2014-15 मेंआप आए, हममेंसेकोई नहीं आया। It is now expected to rise to Rs.33,610. This is not due
to rise in income, but due to price rise of food items during that period. A report says that rapid increase in economic growth surely trickles down to an average Indian household. Indian economy is facing stagnation, which means the
unemployment and inflation at the same time remain continuously high. High inflation has come at the back of higher food and beverage prices. Data analysis shows that food and beverages have contributed 43 per cent to inflation yearon-year and 198 per cent month-on-month. The wholesale price index based on inflation rose to an eight year high of 7.3 per cent in March and is elevated at 7.8 per cent higher on food, and fuel prices. Food prices, which comprise about half of the inflation basket, accelerated to 7.75 per cent in June, while fuel and electricity prices went up to 10.39 per cent. Shrimati Supriya Sule ji was correct when she was talking about the bank
transactions. When Ravi Shankar ji was the Minister, he thought about the Digital India. Modi ji has also thought about the Digital India. I would like to say that for one bank transaction we are paying money. I would suggest you to just lift the veil and then you can see how the money is being squeezed from the pockets of the general public at large. If you wish to take the Cheque Book now, you have to pay GST. I am thankful to Madam Sule for pointing itout before the House. This is happening. Everyone is now talking about online banking system. It is for whose benefit! Is it for the benefit of the consumers or the bank itself? This question has now come up for consideration. Sir, I
will just finish. In case of subsidised LPG, the direct benefit transfer of domestic LPG was Rs. 22,726 crore in 2019-20, which came to Rs. 3,658 crore in 2020-21. I do not want to burden with more statistics. Sir, I am not on statistics now. I have an appeal to each and every one present here. This is an important discussion which is taking place. I have given you the statistics. More statistics will come next month. There will be arguments and some points will be drawn from those arguments. We will also criticise. But ultimately, who are the sufferers in this country? Ultimately, who are suffering? These poor people are suffering. What are you doing for them? टसफा रोनेसेकुछ काम नहींहोताहै। देश आगेबढ़ रहाहै, देश कहाांआगेबढ़ रहा है? Sir, you are an hon. Member of Parliament. You have seen it yourself.
You have gone to the rural places. I have visited extremely rural areas of four Assembly constituencies. You have given gas cylinders. You have given stoves. What are they doing with these? Subsidies are not there. Now, these poor
women are not using gas cylinders and the same have been kept in their almirahs. They are now again using coal and wood for cooking. Thank you, Sir. I am lucky that whenever I speak, you are in the Chair.
