Nirmala Sitharaman has been the talk of the town after the reshuffle of the GST in certain services and products. After the 55th GST Council Meeting held in Jaisalmer, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that no decision was made regarding the inclusion of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework. She also clarified that the issue of taxing food delivery apps was still under discussion, with further deliberations expected in upcoming meetings.
The social media is flooded with memes on FM Nirmala Sitharaman. Amid this let’s recall when in 2019 addressed the issue of rising concerns of onion price rise. She mentioned that the surge did not concern her and she and her family do not eat or use onions.
Sitharaman remarked, “I don’t eat a lot of onions and garlic, so don’t worry. I come from a family that doesn’t care much for onions.”
Throwback
In Parliament Nirmala Sitharaman outlines steps taken by the Govt on the onion crisis .. In an interaction, also says she comes from a family where not much onion or garlic is consumed #OnionCrisis pic.twitter.com/5XO95FBEcx
— Gargi Rawat (@GargiRawat) December 4, 2019
The discussion was prompted by Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, who raised concerns about the rising bad loans and the challenges faced by onion farmers. Sule questioned the decline in onion production and asked why onion growers, who are often small farmers, were not receiving adequate support despite the country’s large exports in other sectors like rice and milk. She emphasized the need to protect onion farmers.
In her reply, Sitharaman spoke about the government’s efforts to stabilize onion prices, including improving technology for better storage. She mentioned that since 2014, she had been part of various ministerial groups monitoring fluctuations in onion markets. She noted that during surplus periods, the government had facilitated exports and provided financial support for onion exports, including offering assistance of 5-7% to exporters.
Addressing the root causes of the shortage, Sitharaman highlighted the lack of scientifically advanced storage methods, which contribute to the production and storage challenges. She stated that the government had already begun working on enhancing storage capacities, especially in key regions such as Lasalgaon.
Due to the lower production, onion prices have surged, with prices exceeding Rs 100 per kg in many areas. In response, the West Bengal government ordered 800 tonnes of imported onions from NAFED to be delivered by the end of December. In Odisha, onion prices have reached Rs 120 per kg.
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