Tomatoes fuel fresh fears of food inflation spike in October
New Delhi: Tomato prices are once again raising concerns about a potential spike in food inflation this month, as vegetable inflation surged to a 14-month high of 36% in September, driving food inflation for consumers up to 9.2%. With fewer tomatoes arriving at mandis and festive season demand rising, households are feeling the pinch of soaring prices.
Last Tuesday, Umakant, a vegetable vendor in South Delhi’s Prakash Mohalla, who buys his stock from the Okhla Mandi, noticed several customers walking away due to the sharp increase in vegetable prices. Tomatoes, in particular, were being sold at ₹120 per kg. Retail tomato prices had jumped by 233% in July compared to June, but saw a 23% drop in August, providing some respite. However, excessive rainfall in September has presented a new challenge, as mandi arrivals have more than halved since August.
Year-on-year vegetable inflation reached 36% in September, the highest in 14 months. The situation for tomatoes has worsened since early October, with prices exceeding ₹100 per kg in many cities across the country. Meanwhile, prices of onions and potatoes continue to remain high, further straining household budgets.
On October 7, the Centre stepped in to address the issue, launching tomato sales at ₹65 per kg in Delhi NCR. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs termed the price hike “unwarranted,” pointing to the “possible role of market intermediaries” amidst the high-demand festive season.
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Nitish Kumar's son Nishant among 32 to take oath as Bihar ministers
Patna (PTI): In a major expansion of the Cabinet of Bihar's first BJP-led government, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar and 31 others took oath as ministers on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Altogether 32 leaders, drawn from all constituents of the five-party NDA in the state, were administered the oath of office by Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain at a grand ceremony that was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister J P Nadda and BJP president Nitin Nabin.
Prominent inductees included Nishant Kumar, the son of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who stepped down as chief minister last month to enter the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP, which is the single largest party in the 243-member assembly with 89 MLAs, has 15 ministers, who took oath on Thursday.
Most of the inductees were those who were part of the Nitish Kumar cabinet formed in November last year after the NDA stormed back to power in the assembly polls.
The JD(U) is represented by a total of 15 ministers, 13 of whom took the oath at the Gandhi Maidan on Thursday. Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav had taken oath in April along with Samrat Choudhary and were designated as deputy chief ministers.
Sanjay Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar Paswan, both from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) headed by Union minister Chirag Paswan, are back as ministers, and so are Santosh Kumar Suman and Deepak Prakash, sons of Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, respectively.
