Prices of fuel, medicine among issues raised in Lok Sabha

Speaking in Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, Ray said, “Petrol and diesel rates in the country have sharply increased after the latest round of fuel price hikes by oil marketing companies. Experts have said that the continuous increase in fuel prices will have a widespread impact on citizens and the overall economy.”

“Common people are cutting on their other expenses to manage their spending on fuel. Every citizen of the country is in anguish and deep distress regarding the spiralling fuel and gas prices,” he said.

Ray said the increase in prices of other essential goods added to the distress.

“India is witnessing systematic erosion of jobs, wages and household income. The middle class and those at the margins of our society are struggling. These challenges have been compounded by runaway inflation and an unprecedented rise in prices of almost all household items and essential commodities,” he said.

“I urge the government to intervene in the matter and take immediate steps to check the steep hike in the prices of petroleum products daily,” he added.

Congress member Dean Kuriakose raised the issue of prices of lifesaving drugs.

“Prices of essential medicines including painkillers, antibiotics, anti-infectives are set to go up from April with the government allowing an increase of over 10 per cent for the scheduled drugs,” Kuriakose said. He said that India’s drug pricing authority on Friday allowed a price hike of 10.7 per cent for scheduled drugs, which are under price control.

“This is the highest price hike allowed. Over 800 drugs under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) will see a price rise from April,” he said.

Observing that the NLEM list includes drugs like paracetamol, antibiotics like azithromycin used to treat bacterial infections, anti-anemia, vitamins and minerals, Kuriakose said, “Some drugs used for treating moderately to severely ill Covid-19 patients and steroids are also included in the list.”

“The government’s reasoning around inflation indexing of price does not hold water in a country like ours where crores of people struggle to buy food, let alone lifesaving medicines. I urge the government to reverse this decision and ensure that lifesaving drugs stay affordable to the people of India,” he said.

YSRCP rebel MP Raghu Rama Krishna Raju raised the issue of the renaming of centrally-sponsored schemes by the Andhra Pradesh government, and requested the Centre to take “swift corrective action”.

“Almost all the central schemes are being renamed on the personal names of the Chief Minister and his family names. For example, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme has been termed as YSR Rythu Barosa, PM Fasal Bima Yojana as YSR Free Crop Insurance Scheme… State is trying to take credit through nomenclature based on the Chief Minister…,” he said.

“I request the government to take swift corrective action in the matter before it goes out of control,” he said.

Congress member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue of setting up of a trading point along the Indo-Bangladesh Border in the district of Murshidabad, West Bengal, to facilitate commercial exchange with Bangladesh.