Adequate import of commodities to bring down prices: Pranab

KOLKATA - The government is importing commodities that are in short supply to bring down prices, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Wednesday.

“We are trying to import adequately commodities with short supply to bridge the gap between demand and supply,” Mukherjee told reporters here when asked about the spiralling prices of essential items.

Mukherjee said the government has instructed the state governments to provide commodities like rice, wheat, edible oil, sugar, kerosene to the people below poverty line at subsidized rates.

“It is important to strengthen the public distribution system so that the adverse effect of the high prices are mitigated on the poor,” he said.