Removing control price on essential goods not due to Dollar crisis: JVP

By Ajith Siriwardana

Claiming that the Government had not removed control price on a number of essential commodities due to the Dollar crisis, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday said control price on rice would not have to be removed if that was the case.

JVP MP Vijitha Herath told a news conference that neither the President nor the Government had been able to decide rice prices, but it was done by the rice millers.

He said prices of gas, milk powder, wheat flour and cement were decided by the companies by now.
“The Government removed control prices on gas, milk powder, wheat flour and cement. This is not an issue due to the Dollar crisis. If it was a dollar crisis, then, there is no need to increase rice prices,” he said.

MP Herath said people face serious issues due to soaring prices of essential goods and increasing inflation due to the printing of money in trillions.

“The Central Bank has printed money to a tune of Rs. 2 trillion by now. Prices of goods are soaring because of this. Interest rate is going up. However, the salary and income of the people have not increased,” he said.    

• Neither the President nor the Government had been able to decide rice prices, but it was done by the rice millers