State minister Beccharam Manna today said the Budget is totally anti-farmer and anti-people. I would like to inform all that after the special initiative taken by the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday, Progotoshil Aloo Babsayi Samiti and cold storage association has declared that the strike called by them and others have been called off.

“During the ongoing meeting it was realized that little technical fault from both the sides lead to a misunderstanding. However, the Progotoshil Aloo Babsayi samity is determined to be by the side of the state government and take initiative to make potatoes available at a much lower price. It is my earnest request to the people not to panic over rumours that potatoes have hit Rs 50 per kg. Potatoes are now available within a range of Rs 26 to 30 per kg. Already, large amounts of potatoes from the cold storages have reached the wholesale and retail markets. Hence, artificial scarcity of potatoes and charging abnormal prices will not be tolerated. It is expected the price of potatoes will remain stable within Rs 26-Rs30 per kg range,” he said, adding, “Many more Sufal Bangla outlets have been opened to make potatoes available at a much subsidized price.”

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The minister said the Budget is anti-people and anti-farmer. Common people have not benefited. Most benefited are the rich and the corporate sector.