New Delhi, August 28: The central government has provided significant relief to residents of Delhi-NCR troubled by soaring onion prices. While onions have been selling for ₹60 to ₹70 per kilogram in local markets, government agencies will now offer them at a subsidized rate of just ₹35 per kilogram.
According to reports, discounted onions will be available at 13 locations across Delhi-NCR, with plans to increase the number of sales points to around 40 in the coming days.
On Thursday, Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, flagged off mobile vans from the Agricultural Building complex, operated by Nafed and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF). On the first day, approximately 400 kilograms of onions were sold at the subsidized rate.
Nidhi Khare stated that the production and availability of onions in the country are sufficient. However, price fluctuations often occur during festival seasons due to increased demand. To manage this, the central government has implemented several measures to enhance the supply of onions in the market and stabilize prices.
The first ‘Kanda Express’ train, transporting onions from Nashik, has arrived at the Adarsh Nagar railway station in New Delhi. This train has delivered a significant quantity of onions, which will be sold at the discounted rate. More ‘Kanda Express’ trains are expected to arrive in the coming days.
This special arrangement has been made under the directives of the Department of Consumer Affairs to control rising onion prices in Delhi. The government has decided to send 840 tons of onions from the buffer stock created under the Price Stabilization Fund to Delhi, with approximately 450 tons being transported via the first Kanda Express.
Pritesh Dubey, the station manager at Lasalgaon, confirmed that around 450 tons of onions are being sent to Delhi by train. He emphasized that efforts were made to ensure the train reaches its destination as quickly as possible to provide relief to consumers in the capital.
The government believes that the sale of onions at subsidized rates and the increase in supply will help control prices in Delhi-NCR. This is expected to offer relief to consumers during the festive season when onion prices typically rise.
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