CPI to launch countrywide agitation against high prices

New Delhi, July 8 (ANI): The Communist Party of India (CPI) has said that it will launch a countrywide agitation against high prices of essential commodities despite low rate of annualised inflation.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said that though the rate on inflation based on whole sale price index was very low, the prices of commodities continued to be high.

"The figure show while the wholesale price index inflation may be the negative, the consumer price index continues to be at nine per cent and ten per cent. As compared to last year, all the prices on all these items have gone up this year. These are all issues about which the party will launch movement and struggle," he said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that employment generation measures have been neglected in the budget.

"We are concerned about the need to have relief to the people and also to create and generate employment and also wealth in the country. Those areas have been neglected," said senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu.

On the other hand, Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran thanked the Finance Ministry for the significant allocation for the textile sector.

"I am quite happy that the Finance Ministry has given lot of significance in the budget for textile," Maran said.

This was contrary to India's textile industry, which felt disappointed after the budget, as key demands were not met despite some positive announcements for the export-oriented sector.

The 52 billion dollars labour-intensive industry is estimated to have lost nearly a million jobs over the past year as the lingering economic slowdown hurt demand for apparels and firms cut production to avoid inventory pile-up. (ANI)