Daily wagers are fighting for their survival. Earlier, wages were Rs 400 to Rs 500 for an unskilled worker. But these days there is a slump and work is not easily available. According to Kishore Kumar a daily labourer, wages are as low as Rs 200 to Rs 300 per day.
“I had bought two litres of mustard oil in the first week of April. It cost me Rs 115 for a litre. I bought it again on May 8 and I was amazed to see that the shopkeeper charged me Rs 155 for a litre.
"I am no expert on food prices and all, but this price rise seemed odd to me. The shop keeper told me that he himself bought it at a higher price than last month. But the printed rate on the packet was still the old one. I had no option but to buy it,” says Jagjeet Singh a businessman.
Ashok Sharma, a commercial farmer talks about a survey. In April, 60% of the respondents of the survey said they expected input prices to rise by 30% over the next 12 months. In April, 34% of producers said they experienced some difficulty in purchasing inputs for the 2022 crop season, up from 27% in March.
A domestic help said that her children did not have jobs and it is difficult for her to meet daily expenses.
"I am very poor. I belong to Bihar and live here on rent. It is difficult to survive. I am not able to go to work. I do not have money. I urge the government to create job opportunities for improving the economic condition of the people, says Seema.
Nowadays, hardly a few come to the market. The demand for vegetables has gone down. The prices of fruits have also gone up. "Earlier, I used to buy a big sack of lemons for Rs 500. Now, I buy only a few due to the high price, says Radha, a vegetable vendor.
A milk vendor says, "I use a bike to deliver milk to my customers. Now, I have to spend Rs 160 per day on petrol as against Rs 100 a few months ago. I want the price of petrol to be reduced".
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Transportation cost has gone up by 10-15% due to a steep hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and CNG. It is causing a ripple effect on vegetable prices, says Anek kumar, Milkman