National
Now, India’s wholesale inflation shoots up on steep food prices
New Delhi : India’s annual rate of inflation based on wholesale prices shot up to 3.55 per cent for July from 1.62 per cent in the previous month, due to an 11.82 per cent jump in prices of food articles, official data showed on Tuesday.
The prices of potatoes continued to pinch with an annual rise of 58.78 per cent, pulses were dearer by 35.76 per cent, while fruit were 17.30 per cent costlier over the same month of the previous year, as per the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data of the Commerce Ministry.
Data released last week showed that the country’s annual retail inflation shot up to a 23-month high of 6.07 per cent for July and beyond the official tolerance level of 6 per cent, again due to higher prices for food articles.
The July WPI index at 3.55 per cent marks a two-year high. After rising for the first time in April following 17 straight months of contraction, the WPI has cumulatively risen by 4.91 per cent in the current fiscal up to July. The rise was 0.85 per cent for the corresponding period last year.
Inflation in vegetables prices during July rose to 28.05 per cent, up from 16.91 per cent in June.
Prices of manufactured products, which comprise nearly 65 per cent of the index, continued to rise for the fifth straight month, rising by 1.82 per cent in July. The prices had risen by 1.17 per cent in June.
The sub-category of manufactured food products, which includes sugar and edible oils, registered a significant rise of 10.19 per cent, up from 8.35 per cent in the previous month.
This was mainly caused by a spurt in sugar prices, which rose by 32.33 per cent, as against 26.09 per cent in the previous month, as a result of production shortages.
Fuel inflation remained negative in July, going down by one per cent as compared to a 3.62 per cent fall in June and 6.14 per cent in May due to fall in crude oil prices.
However, diesel prices continued to rise after seeing an uptrend in June after many months of consecutive fall. Prices of high-speed diesel rose by 6.57 per cent in July, from a 1.13 per cent rise in June.
In this connection, industry chamber Assocham said on Sunday on the basis of its study that prices of vegetables in India’s retail markets are likely to go up further in the coming months with the peak production season coming to an end.
The report said there would be “more pressure on the market arrivals of vegetables as production season eases”, on the basis of a “most worrying” trend that saw vegetable prices rising up to 100 per cent in the April-July period due to low arrivals of the harvest in the markets.
“There is a huge gap between retail and wholesale prices of vegetables. On an all-India average basis, retailers are selling at more than 52.7 per cent of wholesale prices,” Assocham Secretary General D.S. Rawat said in a statement here.
At the retail level, potato prices increased by about 100 per cent during the April-July period, over the corresponding period of 2015, followed by cabbage (49.3 per cent), chillies (47.8 per cent), garlic (37 per cent), cauliflower (33.9 per cent), tomato local (26 per cent), tomato hybrid (25.6 per cent), potato fresh (25 per cent), okra (22.3 per cent) and brinjal (20.8 per cent).
“It indicates a worrying situation where market arrivals of vegetables have recorded contraction despite being a peak season for production,” the report said.
The gap between wholesale and retail prices is as much as over 75 per cent in some cases like brinjal and over 62 per cent for tomatoes, it added.
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.