Since the last few months, due to the continuous increase in the price of essential commodities and fuel, the budget of the household of the common people has been completely messed up. Almost every section of the society is feeling troubled by this. Auto and cab drivers have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from April 18 due to the rise in CNG price by Rs 10 per kg.
While the prices of vegetables are touching the sky, in the last one month, the price of petrol and diesel has increased by up to Rs 10 per liter. Apart from this, the prices of other petroleum products including LPG have also seen a rise, adding to the woes of the people. Kallu Ram (50), a milk vendor from Bhopal, said the rise in prices has hit his savings. He said, ‘I go to deliver milk to my customers by bike. Few months back I used to spend only Rs 100 per day on petrol, whereas today this expenditure has increased to Rs 160 per day. I want petrol prices to come down.
Baldev Chand, a retired government employee from Chandigarh, said that inflation has affected his household budget a lot. “A good part of my pension was already being spent on medicines taken by me and my wife,” he says. Rising prices of essential commodities have forced us to put a halt on all non-essential expenses.
Kamini Patel, who sells vegetables in the market of Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, says that both customers and sellers have been affected by the increase in fuel prices. Kamini said, ‘Earlier I used to earn up to Rs 1500 per day, but now the income has come down to less than Rs 1000. People are shying away from buying expensive vegetables. Hotel and restaurant owners, who are making losses due to the COVID-19 epidemic, say that the increase in the prices of gas cylinders and other items has given a blow to the business after the COVID epidemic.