-Society for Social and Economic Research Monograph 20/3 Key Messages Lack of planning and preparation by the Central government for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a massive blow to India’s economy and has caused enormous hardships to working people of the country. Harvesting of Rabi crops • Unplanned and sudden imposition of the lockdown resulted in a massive and unprecedented disruption to agricultural activities such as harvesting, sale of agricultural produce, and purchase...

-The Indian Express Third tranche of COVID-19 economic package: Not only can farmers sell to anyone and anywhere, but traders and processors, too, will be able to freely buy, stock and move any quantity of agri-produce within the country. Barely seven months after imposing limits on the maximum quantity of onion any wholesaler or retailer could keep, the Narendra Modi government on Friday announced what may turn out to be a defining...

-The Indian Express Between September and December, when retail onion prices soared from around Rs 30 to Rs 100-plus per kg (they have since fallen to Rs 50 or so), Paswan has similarly urged state governments through Twitter to “act” against alleged hoarders of the bulb. On January 7, Union Consumer Affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan took to Twitter, to issue a stern warning to “hoarders”, whom he blamed for “creating artificial...

-PTI With onion prices continuing to rule high at ?80-90 per kg, the government on Wednesday extended prohibitions on traders from the stocking of edible bulb across the country for an indefinite period. Separately, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan did not say by when prices of onion will normalise. “It’s not in our hand, the government is taking maximum efforts but who can win from nature,” he told reporters. Please click...

-The Indian Express Tomatoes-onions-potatoes face extreme price volatility. Addressing it requires sustainable solutions, not temporary ad hoc measures. Last month, on September 13, when onion retail prices crossed Rs 40/kg in Delhi, the government was hyperactive and imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of $850/tonne. Later on, as prices went further up to Rs 50-60/kg, stocking limits were imposed on traders and exports of onions were banned. It created problems in...