Chandigarh
The Sirsa MP, Former Union Minister, General Secretary of All India Congress Committee and CWC member Kumari Selja accused the BJP-led Centre of mishandling sugar supply and demand, alleging that rising prices and declining stocks were the result of flawed policy decisions and weak management.
In a statement, Kumari Selja said the government should have anticipated pressure on domestic sugar supplies and formulated a policy keeping future consumption in mind. Instead, she alleged, sugar exports continued while a significant portion of sugarcane was diverted towards ethanol production, putting additional pressure on domestic availability.
Kumari Selja said reports indicated that sugar prices had risen by nearly 40% over the past three months, while prices of several other essential food items had also increased. She said the rising cost of basic commodities was putting additional pressure on household budgets, particularly for poor and middle-class families.
According to Kumari Selja reports suggested that the opening stock with sugar mills could be substantially lower than last year. She said the situation had reportedly reached a point where the government might have to consider duty-free imports of around one million tonnes of raw sugar to meet domestic requirements. “If the country has to depend on imported sugar to meet its domestic demand after years of being a major sugar producer, serious questions arise over supply management and policy planning,” she said.
Kumari Selja said the government’s ethanol-blending policy was aimed at reducing petroleum imports and saving foreign exchange, but domestic sugar availability and prices should not have been compromised in pursuit of that objective. She also urged the Centre to address consumer concerns regarding vehicle compatibility and mileage associated with higher ethanol blending through clear and factual information.
Kumari Selja demanded that the government make public data on sugar production, stocks, domestic consumption, exports and the quantity of sugarcane being diverted for ethanol production. She called for a long-term policy that ensured remunerative returns to sugarcane farmers, balanced ethanol production and affordable sugar for consumers.
:-The ‘Removing eligible voters’ names in SIR exercise an attack on democratic rights’:-Kumari Selja
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttarakhand, Kumari Selja alleged that removing the names of eligible voters without due process amounted to an attack on their democratic rights.
She criticised the reported stopping of Congress leaders who had gone to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission, saying the constitutional body must function independently, transparently and impartially. Kumari Selja demanded a transparent SIR process, a fair review of deleted names and restoration of eligible voters’ names wherever they had been wrongly removed.
