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Price Spiral

Rice allocation for OMS to be doubled

Staff Correspondent
The government will double rice supply for open market sale (OMS) and consider introducing dearness allowance for its employees as part of short-term measures to alleviate public sufferings from price spiral of essentials.
Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman yesterday said, "The process is already underway to supply every day an additional 1,200 to 1,500 tonnes of rice to the OMS outlets across the country until the end of April."
He was talking to reporters after a meeting with leading economists, NGO executives and government officials.
He said a portion of the rice given under VGF (vulnerable group
feeding) programmes would be replaced by potatoes since there is a bumper crop of the vegetable.
Referring to government efforts in response to continual price hike, Zillur said, "We are now working to have some short-term measures in place to continue till the budget for the next fiscal year comes in June. "
The council of advisers at its weekly meeting today will discuss possible ways to mitigate public sufferings, he added.
The commerce adviser said OMS outlets sell on average 1,500 tonnes of rice every day, and of that, 350 tonnes are sold in Dhaka and the rest in other parts of the country.
But as the amount is not adequate, the government is going toallocate another 1,500 tonnes for QMS every day, he added.
The target groups for the increased OMS facilities include the working community’ especially the garment workers. "Besides, we are considering expanding the OMS network down to the union level so that rural people too can have the benefit," he said.
The adviser said introducing ration cards for the public servants would cost a lot of money. "Instead, the government is thinking of making a provision of dearness allowance for them," he added.
Asked when that [provision] would take effect, he replied the finance ministry is working on the matter.
Ministry sources said the finance division is now examining financial implications of the plan to provide up to 30 percent dearness allowance.
Citing from discussions at yesterday’s meeting, the commerce adviser said almost 70 percent people of Kalkilni union in Madaripur, an area hit hard by Cyclone Sidr, are getting 15 kilograms of rice a month under the VGF programme.
In unions like Shahpur of Gaibandha, a district not affected by the deadly storm in last November, about 40 percent people receive 15 kilograms of rice a month.
A portion of the rice allotted for VGF programmes will be diverted to the food for work programme with a view to create work opportunities for the rural poor, said the commerce adviser.
In view of the bumper harvest of potatoes, the government is planning to use the vegetable in place of an amount of the food grain under VGF.
Pa 11 i Karma Sahayak Foundation’s Managing Director Kazi Mezbahuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies Director General Kazi Shahabuddin, Brae Executive Mahbub Hossain, Bangladesh Rifles Director General Major General Shakii Ahmed, Dhaka University teachers Atiur Rahman. Mahbub Ullah and MA Taslim, and economist Sazzad Jahir were present at the meeting with Hossain Zillur.