Nirmala Sitharaman: Inflation within tolerance band

New Delhi, February 6

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha that prices of perishable goods have started coming down and the prices are within the tolerance band.

Answering a query raised by AIADMK’s M Thambi Durai on the rise in retail inflation during the Question Hour, she talked about the interventions made by the Centre to keep in check the price rise. “The prices have started coming down and they are within the tolerance band. Lots of steps have been taken by the government, particularly for meeting the shortage in supply of perishable goods,” she said and added that since India doesn’t grow enough pulses, steps have been taken to import pulses.

“We imported 8.79 lakh metric tonnes of Tur Dal and 15.14 lakh metric tonnes of Masoor Dal in 2023. Similarly, we imported other dals (pulses) as well and released them in the market. We have also brought the branded ‘Bharat Dal’ through which Chana Dal is made available at Rs 60/kg for one kg pack and Rs 55/kg for 30 kg packs. 2.97 lakh metric tonnes of Chana have been sold already as of January 30. The ‘Bharat Dal’, which come at a concessional price, is available in all retail markets,” Sitharaman said.

As of February 3, 3.96 lakh metric tonnes of onions at Rs 25 per kg have been released in the market.