Raghuvansh demands law to curb inflation

New Delhi, Jun 23 (UNI) Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today demanded stringent laws to contain inflation and said the bio-disel mission must be operationalised soon to overcome the problem of rising fuel prices.

Dr Singh said here the price of foodgrains should not increase more than 6 per cent in a year while that of factory products, it must not exceed 1.5 times the cost of production. He said he has repeatedly told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram about it and even asked them to frame law to ensure inflation was contained which has affected poor people, especially those in the rural areas.

However, blaming the rising price of petroleum products in the international market for the double digit inflation, Dr Singh said he would urge the Group of Minister to take a final decision on the National bio-diesel mission proposal soon so that the fuel crisis could be overcome by largescale production of bio-diesel using jatropha plantation.

According to the minister, the present crisis on the nuclear deal would soon be over and the UPA government would complete its turn. He said the UPA government was working in a democratic manner so it allowed differences of opinion on various issues, including the one with Left parties on the nuclear deal.

But, the crisis would soon be over as DMK leader M Karunanidhi was mediating. He criticised the NDA for not having democratic tradition and depending on single individual.

Regarding the attacks and killings of two social activists in Jharkhand, the Rural Development Minister said on his direction state Chief Minister Madhu Koda had ordered a CBI inquiry into the death of Lalit Mehta who was reportedly killed for exposing corruption in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. About Kameshwar Yadav, the minister said he had asked the Jharkhand government to submit a report and only after getting it, he would take a final decision on the issue.

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