Amidst controversy that Delhi government had procured onions at cheaper price to sell them at relatively inflated rates, new documents appear to put the blame squarely on central government.
New documents reveal that Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium, a central government agency, procured onions at little over Rs 18 per kg to sell them to Delhi government at Rs 32 per kg.
Delhi government says it had incurred additional cost on transport and delivery over and above the onion prices paid to the SFAC.
Delhi government had sold these onions at Rs 30 per kg to consumers at a time when the commodity was being sold at Rs 80 per kg in the market.
Controversy began after a news channel claimed the AAP led government had procured the onions at Rs 18 per kg accusing it of corruption.
AAP leaders and its supporters were quick to rubbish the report as malicious and ‘attempt to defame’ the government.
Delhi’s Food & Civil Supply Minister Aseem Ahmed Khan refuted allegations that the AAP government had procured onions at a lower price and sold it to the public at a much higher rate.
Ruling out any financial bungling on its part, Khan said that government had procured onions from SFAC at Rs 32.86/kg adding that owing to transportation and labour expenses, the prices had shot up to Rs 40/kg and the AAP government then decided to subsidise the onion price by another Rs 10 per kg and decided to sell them at Rs 30 per kg to the public.
The government is also contemplating taking legal action against the media house, said a source.
