Govt plans to open "peoples bazaar" in all districts

Thiruvananthapuram, July 13 (UNI) The State Government has formulated a scheme to open ''Peoples bazaar'' in all the districts and ''Hyper markets'' in selected areas of the state with a view to making available all items under one roof, Kerala Civil Supplies Minister C Divakaran told the Assembly today.

Responding to questions from Mr Therambil Ramakrishnan (Cong) and others, he said the government had taken various measures to check the spiraling of vegetable prices by effective market intervention.

Pointing out the danger of Multinational companies entering the retail sector and widespread protest against it by Ruling and Opposition fronts, he said the government was planning to bring in a new legislation to check such companies from entering the state.

Though the government had taken steps to collect goods directly from production centers, it could not collect the items as Multinational companies had booked the products by giving advance money to the farmers, he said.

Mr Divakaran said the government was seriously considering to enact a legislation to prevent hoarding and blackmarketing of essential commodities.

Stating that Neethi Medical stores, run by the Civil Supplies Corporation had succeeded in reducing the cost of certain medicines up to 40 per cent, the Minister said the Corporation was planning to open five such medical shops in each taluk.

UNI