Post-budget price hike irks traders, citizens

All national and international companies besides local factories have set new prices for all essential commodities after the new taxes and duties imposed in the fiscal year 2024-25 budget. They have started supplying items accordingly.

However, residents of Rawalpindi district have expressed serious concerns over inflationary trends. From pulses and rice to milk and yogurt, the prices have shot up from Rs80 per kg to Rs120 per kg. Prices of all pulses have gone up by Rs100 per kg. Among vegetables, peas, lemons, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, potatoes and onions have also become out of reach of the poor and middle class.

Citizens have started buying grocery items by the quarter-of-a-kilo instead of a kilogram. They have started buying 5kg of flour bag instead of 10 to 20kg.

In the open market, daal gram is being sold for Rs360 per kg, lentil mash Rs600, white gram Rs540 per kg, red beans Rs630 per kg, sugar Rs165 per kg, rice Rs440 per kg, ghee Rs490 per kg, branded ghee Rs510 per kg and oil is being sold for Rs550 per kg. The price of a milk packet of all sizes has been increased by Rs50 to Rs90.

The administration seems completely helpless to control the genie of inflation.

As all bodies of traders including grocery merchants have started protesting over increasing prices, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema has called an emergency meeting of the District Price Control Committee today (Monday).

The association of flour dealers and grocery merchants has rejected the new prices of a bag of flour.