Letters to The EDITOR: What is driving the price hike?

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 What is driving the price hike?

There was a time when a family could go to the market with a fixed amount of money and return home with almost everything it needed. Today, the same amount often feels insufficient. A few vegetables, cooking oil, fuel and other household essentials can quickly stretch the monthly budget. For millions of Indians, the rising cost of living is no longer something discussed only in economic reports. It is being felt at the kitchen table.

The obvious question is: why are prices rising?

There is no single answer. Prices are shaped by several factors, from weather and transportation costs to international oil prices, global conflicts and the value of the rupee. Each may appear separate, but together they decide what people finally pay in the market.

Food prices are particularly sensitive. Excessive rain, floods, drought or extreme heat can damage crops and reduce supplies. When fewer goods reach the market while demand remains steady, prices naturally come under pressure. This is why consumers can sometimes find vegetables and other essentials suddenly much more expensive.

Then there is the cost of bringing those goods to the market. Farmers need fuel and fertilisers, transporters need diesel, shops need electricity, and businesses need labour. When these costs rise, the pressure does not simply disappear. Eventually, some of it reaches the consumer.

India’s dependence on imported crude oil adds another layer to the problem. International crude oil is largely traded in US dollars. When global oil prices rise, or the rupee weakens against the dollar, importing crude becomes more expensive. Higher fuel costs can then affect transportation and production, creating pressure across the economy.

However, it would be wrong to blame every price rise on fuel or the falling rupee. Markets are complicated. Supply disruptions, changing demand, international commodity prices and geopolitical tensions can all influence prices. An event thousands of kilometres away can sometimes affect the cost of goods in an Indian market.

For an ordinary family, however, the reasons can feel less important than the reality. When everyday necessities become expensive, something else has to give. A family may cut down on eating out, postpone a purchase, reduce savings or choose cheaper alternatives. For households with limited incomes, the choices are even harder because most earnings already go towards basic needs.

This is where inflation becomes more than an economic issue. It becomes a question of how comfortably people can live.

India has made considerable economic progress, but keeping the cost of living manageable remains an important challenge. Better storage facilities, smoother transportation, stronger agricultural supply chains and greater domestic production can help reduce unnecessary price pressures. Reducing excessive dependence on imported energy can also make the economy less vulnerable to global shocks.

The government and the Reserve Bank of India have important roles in maintaining price stability, but monetary policy alone cannot solve the problem. The way goods move from farmers and producers to consumers also matters. If a farmer receives too little while a consumer pays too much, the problem lies somewhere deeper in the supply chain.

Inflation should never be seen only through percentages and statistics. Behind every number is a family adjusting its monthly expenses, a parent thinking twice before making a purchase, or a young person trying to save for the future.

Economic growth matters, but it must also reach households. The real measure of a healthy economy is not only how fast it grows, but whether ordinary people can afford to live with security, dignity and hope for tomorrow.

Chandasmita Kashyap

Guwahati, Assam

Caging birds

Through this column of your esteemed daily, I would like to draw the kind attention of the concerned authorities to the growing practice of keeping wild birds as pets at home.

Many people capture young wild birds, including parrots, myna birds and other species, and keep them confined in cages for their amusement. More disturbingly, when these birds grow up, some people even cut their wings to prevent them from flying away. Such acts are cruel and deprive these innocent creatures of their natural freedom.

Wild birds play an important role in maintaining ecological balance and preserving biodiversity. They belong in nature, not in cages. The concerned authorities should therefore strictly enforce existing wildlife protection laws and take stringent action against those who capture, trade or illegally keep wild birds. Public awareness campaigns should also be conducted to discourage such practices.

I hope the authorities will take immediate and effective steps to protect our wild birds and prevent such cruelty.

Heramba Nath,

Hindumaizali, Kamrup.

Resort tourism

detrimental to tigers

Tourists throng popular tiger reserves from February to July as chances of sighting the big cats are higher when they visit the water holes. During monsoon, although the core tiger zones are closed for safaris but still visitors take their chances. Tiger safaris don't ruffle the majestic animals as much as the "resort tourism" does. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Supreme Court guidelines mandate the resorts' location in the buffer zones,  which are situated outside the reserves' boundaries and on revenue lands. However, a few establishments are tantalisingly close to the core areas. 

Luxurious weddings and musical events are conducted in posh resorts thereby disturbing ecotourism. Besides the loud music and nuisance created by the people, rush of vehicles in and out of the National parks tends to greatly perturb the tigers and other big cats. As a result, their movement into the buffer zones and human settlements can lead to an enhanced man-animal conflict. A balanced ecotourism is extremely important to maintain the tiger reserves noise-free.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)