New Delhi: As the debate on rising onion prices raged in Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made an unexpected revelation that the kitchen staple is not a part of her family's diet.
"I don't eat a lot of onions and garlic, so don't worry. I come from a family that doesn't care much about onions and garlic," she said on Wednesday while replying to a question by Supriya Sule. Her surprising remark ended up drawing laughter from her colleagues in the Lower House.
#WATCH: FM Sitharaman says "Main itna lehsun, pyaaz nahi khati hoon ji. Main aise pariwar se aati hoon jaha onion, pyaaz se matlab nahi rakhte" when an MP intervenes&asks her 'Aap pyaaz khaate hain?' while she was answering NCP's Supriya Sule's ques on production&price of onions. pic.twitter.com/i6OG7GN775— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2019
Prices of onion in many places have crossed Rs 100 per kg because of less production. Explaining further on the crisis, the minister said that the government has taken several steps to check rising prices of onion include ban on exports, imposition of stock limit, import and transfer of onion from surplus to deficit area.
"I must say, from 2014, I have also been part of some of the group of ministers, which monitored the ups and downs in onion markets. Sometimes when there was surplus of crop we have also facilitated by giving support to those people who want to export it. I have overnight past orders for helping with 5-7 per cent assistance for exporting," she said.
Attributing shortage to low production, the minister said there are severe structural problems related to onions. "One is we don't have scientifically advanced methods of storing...So that is one of the things, so we need to have greater scientific storage facility for onions we have started working on it...then also to give better storage capacities within that region particularly around Lasalgaon," she said.
The minister also said that due to implementation of direct benefit transfer scheme, the government has been able to save Rs 1.41 lakh crore in the last five years by plugging loopholes.
The government plugged all loopholes through DBT and "all dalals and middlemen have been eliminated from the system...How the DBT is making it to reach the actual workers and not dalal. No dalal no cheating. Money reaching to actual worker", she said.
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