Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, June 4: Pointing towards the steep hike in the prices of essential commodities and resultant hardships faced by the people, Harshdev Singh, chairman-JKNPP and former Minister said that unbridled inflation at the time of deadly COVID pandemic had posed the most menacing threat to the very survival of common man.
The unprecedented hike in the prices of petrol, diesel, LPG had resulted in escalation of prices of various goods and services in general resulting in immense public hardships. Most distressing aspect of the matter was the rise in cost of living at a time when the teeming millions had become jobless. The people had lost their livelihood and sources of income and the Government had failed to compensate them in such difficult times of corona. The worst afflicted were the poor and middle class people whose earnings had drastically reduced in the recent past due to COVID pandemic and economic slowdown. The poor labourers, the daily wagers, the contractual, the small and marginal farmers were facing worst ever economic crisis and rather felt terrorized due to negligible income and increased expenditure due to the incessant hike in prices of essential items of everyday use.
Harsh Dev was interacting with the people in villages Thapal and Jandrairi in Ramnagar constituency. He distribution ration and relief to poor 150 people on the occasion.
Accusing the Government of having failed to fulfil its obligations as a welfare state, Singh said that while the prices of essentials had multiplied manifold, it had failed to effect any increase in the wages and honorarium of the poor daily wagers and contractuals working in Government establishments thus forcing them to starvation. It had failed to provide the much needed financial assistance and relief to the poor and BPL families despite the deductions being made from the DA of the Government employees, pensioners and Ex-Servicemen. The poor labourers who had lost their sources of earnings during corona needed to be provided adequate financial help for their survival. It’s the prime responsibility of the State to come to the succour of its citizens during critical times and to bail them out of crisis. It was ironical however, that despite unprecedented inflation the Government had failed to review even the daily wages of the poor working class and the minimum wages payable to the distressed labour force.
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