Govt devising ways to bring down prices of essentials: PM

The government is contemplating ways to bringing down the prices of essential commodities that have gone beyond the reach of commoners following the fuel oil price hike.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this on Tuesday while speaking at the regular meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) at NEC, joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban, reports UNB.

“I think that it is important now to bring down the prices of the essentials at a tolerable level and within the purchasing power of the common people,” she said.

She mentioned about the government’s move to sell rice among 50 lakh families at the rate of Tk 15 per kg.

“We will provide special family cards to one crore people by which they will be able to procure essential commodities at fair price, we are taking the steps,” she said.

Hasina said that she thinks that the government has to take some more steps to save the low-and-middle income groups from sufferings due to the recent price hike.

She again said that she is aware that due to the fuel oil price hike the prices of essential commodities have increased.

“People are suffering, lower-income group, middle-income group and fixed income group are facing severe hurdles. We can realise that,” she said.

In this connection, she mentioned that she does her politics for the people and whenever people suffer, she also feels the pain.

The prime minister reiterated her call to increase the domestic production to lessen the dependency on imports.

She said that Russia-Ukraine war, sanctions and counter-sanctions resulted in soaring prices of various items in the global market.

“We had the ability to purchase, but the prices went up even beyond the reach of our purchasing capacity,” she said.

She mentioned that such uncertainty coupled with various conspiracies had always struck Bangladesh whenever it started moving forward and improve the living standards of the people.

The PM said that prices of fuel shot up alarmingly and her government has been providing subsidy to make it affordable.

“We tried to reduce the expenditure through austerity, but the demand of the fuel oil was the same. That means the fuel oil were being smuggled out,” she said.

She said that it is very much normal in the world to adjust the fuel prices comparing with the neighbouring countries to prevent smuggling.

“We also took that initiative and we have to increase the fuel oil price,” she said.

Hasina asked the ministers and public servants to consider ways on how to minimise the pains of people due to price spiral.

“I will sit very soon to find out the ways for the mass people,” she said.

The premier said that the government wants to buy fuel oil, fertiliser and wheat from Russia.