Opposition MP Virendra Lal has questioned the Government’s decision to end its three-month inflation relief measures, arguing that while economic indicators may have improved, the cost of everyday essentials remains high for ordinary families.
In a statement today, Mr Lal said the three-month inflation relief package had provided “badly needed breathing space” for struggling households during the fuel price shock, while the 50 per cent welfare top-up had helped vulnerable recipients cope with rising living costs.
“The idea behind the relief was good. But ending it strictly because the calendar says three months are up does not match what people are facing in real life,” he said.
Mr Lal said although fuel prices and broader economic indicators appeared to be easing, consumers continued to pay elevated prices for food and other essential goods.
“Ordinary families do not shop using economic charts. They buy food from the corner shop and the market. And the truth is simple: prices for basic food and essential goods have not gone back down.”
He argued that once prices increase during a crisis, they rarely return to previous levels, making high prices the “new normal” for many households.
Mr Lal said ending the support after a fixed three-month period ignored the continuing financial pressures faced by families.
“Cutting welfare back to the old rate while food, utilities, and daily essentials are still expensive creates a sudden drop for more than one hundred thirty thousand people who depended on that buffer just to get by,” he said.
He said withdrawing the assistance before prices and household purchasing power had recovered meant vulnerable families were now bearing the full burden of higher living costs on their own.
