INDIA: DELHI: PROTESTS OVER FOOD & FUEL PRICE RISES
- published: 21 Jul 2015
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Hindi/English/Nat Thousands of protestors took to the streets in Delhi on Wednesday to vent their anger over a recent hike in food and fuel prices announced by the government. The Bharatiya Janata Party led coalition government has recently reduced popular subsidies, which means a sharp rise in prices on cooking gas, rice, wheat, sugar and fertilizer. The Indian finance minister says the hike was needed to control the country\'s spiraling deficit, but the protestors say it is a blow to (m) millions of India\'s poor . In a country that accounts for more than 40 per cent of the world\'s poor, rising prices always evoke strong reactions. Thousands of demonstrators belonging to the opposition Congress Party burnt effigies and shouted angry slogans against the federal government for what they called a blow to the poorest of the poor. The outrage was targeted at the recent hike in prices of rice, wheat, sugar and fertilizer which are sold in government stores at reduced prices to poor people who are given a ration card. The cost of a cylinder of cooking gas - the most common fuel for domestic cooking - also went up by about 12 percent - a measure that would reduce its annual subsidy by 950 (m) million, to 4 (b) billion overall. Under pressure from its angry allies the government was forced to reverse the price increases on wheat and rice for the poorest Indians, but left sugar, fertilizer and cooking gas increases in place. The issue is politically sensitive. After the price of onions sky rocketed due to rain damage the Bharatiya Janata Party (B-J-P) w...