Thiruvananthapuram: It was decided in an LDF meeting that the price of 13 subsidised items distributed via Supplyco will be hiked. Following the request made by Supplyco, the LDF meeting that took place on Friday discussed the matter and approved the price hike. The meeting also tasked the civil supplies minister with deciding how much this  price hike should be.

Supplying essential commodities with subsidy incurs a liability of over Rs 500 crore and the government either has to pay this or bring the burden down by periodically increasing the prices of the commodities, Supplyco demanded. It had informed the civil supplies minister in writing about this. The LDF meeting held today discussed the matter because the price hike was a policy decision. 

The prices of 13 essential commodities will rise in the coming days. In the last few months following the crisis, subsidised essentials were often not available in the outlets. It is amidst this that the price rise comes.

In 2016, the LDF had made an election promise that the price of essential commodities increase. However, it must be noted that the prices have remained stable for the past seven years.