Torments from higher prices

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EVEN coarse rice is now selling unthinkably at Taka 22-24 per kg. The prices of such varieties of rice were between Taka 16-18 last year. Thus, the hardships of poor people know no bounds. Rice is the staple in their daily diets and its unprecedented high price is pushing them into great distresses.
It is also well known that the price of rice going up creates the spur for the similar raising of prices and charges by the sellers of different categories of products and services respectively as a sort of compensation mechanism for buying the basic food at higher prices. Already, unofficially but credibly, the rate of inflation has crossed the double digit mark. This has been a unique negative development in this country in decades. Its adverse implication for poverty alleviation should be obvious. Many concerned quarters are now fearing that inflation could climb to the neighbourhood of 15 per cent or more by next year.
These are indeed very worrying developments and dictates the urgency of going all-out for with effective policy-supports for taming the price pressure, though even the experts know that this is no easy task. But since the present government is understood to be above the influences of vested interest groups and dedicated to working for the public good and relied on to be efficient in accomplishing major tasks, people expect it to immediately address the price issue with effectiveness as it is thought to be doing in the other areas.
Mohsin Ali
Rayerbazar, Dhaka