Proceedings of Parliament | There is no denying inflation, constant efforts to control it: Nirmala Sitharaman

Replying to a short-duration discussion on “rising prices of essential commodities” in the Rajya Sabha on August 2, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Center is not denying the fact that there was a price hike. He said that the Center is making constant efforts to check the prices of essential commodities like tomato, onion, potato, pulses and edible oil. He denies the allegations of the opposition That the Center was denying the share of cess and duty on petroleum products. He said that the macro-economic foundation of the country is strong.

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Responding to the debate that lasted for nearly four hours, Ms Sitharaman said that the Indian economy was much better than its peer groups and developed economies. However, she said that no one was in denial about the price hike. “We’ll look at the numbers [on economy] And also on the ground situation. We are not running away.’ “Ideally it should be below 6%,” she said.

He said that presenting the figures does not mean that there is no inflation in the country. “It becomes very annoying if the debate is about attributing things that we have not said. We are looking at both the data and the ground situation. We are in constant touch with people. We are taking a targeted approach and through this we are reaching out to a section of people who need help.”

The Finance Minister said that the opposition is trying to create a narrative that nothing was being given to the poor man From the cess and duties collected by the Centre. He said the opposition is completely politicizing the debate by saying that the Center is for Ambani and Adani. “We are all working together to ensure that the voices of the poor are heard. Each one of us is contributing to the recovery process not only for the economy but also to deal with the pandemic,” she said.

He claimed that the Center has controlled the prices of tomatoes, onions and potatoes. Edible oil prices were also under control and the Center was reviewing the availability and prices of pulses and its cultivation area from time to time.

Countering the opposition’s allegations that the cess and additional tax on petrol and diesel were not shared with the states, he said the Center collected ₹3.77 lakh crore cess and ₹3.93 lakh crore was utilized through the states. . “It immediately goes to the states. The center sits on it. Cess collected, Cess used. It is a misconception that the cess is not shared,” she said and added that the total flow of funds to the states had increased by close to 15%. “The average resource growth in the states after GST is 14.8%,” the minister said.

Earlier, initiating the debate, CPI(M) leader Elaram Karim said that there was no unanimous decision in the GST Council on tax on pre-packaged goods as it was opposed by Kerala and some other opposition-ruled states. BJP’s Prakash Javadekar said that all the countries of the world are suffering from inflation. “But no country has given free ration like we did,” he said.

Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil said that people are fed up with inflation. He said the Center collected Rs 27 lakh crore by way of additional cess and duty on petrol and diesel and Rs 98,000 crore was used for payment of oil bonds. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat had taken a decision that the state would not reduce VAT on petrol and diesel. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said consumption of rural households has come down and profits of corporate houses have increased. Speakers from parties like JD(U), YSRCP and BJD also criticized the Centre’s efforts to check price rise.