NSUI activists sell onions at Rs 20/kg near Odisha agriculture minister's residence to protest price hike

NSUI activists sell onions at Rs 20/kg near Odisha agriculture minister's residence to protest price hike

In protest against onion price rise, National Students' Union of India (NSUI) activists on October 31 staged a protest near the official residence of Odisha Agriculture Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain here and sold the bulb at Rs 20 a kg.

Onion is currently selling at Rs 60 to Rs 70 in the local markets here.

As part of the protest, the activists also threw a packet of onion inside the minister’s house, police said.

Security was beefed up near the minister’s house to avoid any untoward incident during the protest, police added.

"Onion prices have skyrocketed in Odisha and the state government has failed to control it," NSUI state Yashir Nawaz said.

In 2015, the BJD government had launched Onion Mission with an outlay of Rs 15 crore to enhance its production in the state. However, the mission failed to yield any results, he alleged.

Meanwhile, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak blamed the Centre for onion price hike.

"Onion prices have spiked in other states too and it has become a national issue. The central government should look into it," Nayak said.

The state government is taking action against traders who are hoarding onions to create artificial scarcity, he added. PTI BBM BBM MNB