Tamil Nadu Assembly | Government closely monitoring fluctuations in prices of essential commodities: Food Minister

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Image used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan

Tamil Nadu Minister for Food and Civil Supplies P. Venkataramanan on Friday (August 28, 2026) said the State government is closely monitoring the price fluctuations of 41 essential commodities through the Price Monitoring Committee, and measures are being taken to ensure the seamless availability of those commodities.

He was responding in the Legislative Assembly to the concerns raised by the Opposition over the rise in prices of essential commodities, including sugar, rice, pulses, and cooking oil. The Minister said the rise in prices of essential commodities in the State in recent weeks was not an isolated incident, but was due to the impact of the war in West Asia and the consequent increase in fuel prices. He pointed out the prices of essential commodities have increased in other States as well.

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin said the prices of essential commodities had witnessed a sharp increase in recent weeks. He urged the government to implement price-control measures. He also listed out measures taken by the DMK government led by former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in 2007, when there was a rise in prices, including the introduction of a special public distribution system under which essential commodities were provided to ration card holders at prices lower than the market rates.

Later, AIADMK floor leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the prices of sugar, tamarind, turmeric, and chilli had also increased in the last three months, affecting people. He also said the supply of rice from Andhra Pradesh had declined.

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