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Low-income People Bearing Brunt of Soaring Market Prices THT Online Kathmandu, July 20

With market prices spiralling out, low-income families are findingit difficult to eke out a living.

Due to the lack of a control mechanism, prices of foodstuffs areincreasing at an alarming rate.

In the last six months, price of a 30-kg bag of Mansuli rice hasgone up to Rs 880 from Rs 740. The price of 20 kg-bag of Basmatirice has risen to Rs 1,400 from Rs 1,200. Per litre price ofsoybean oil has jumped to Rs 140 from Rs 110, while the price perlitre of mustard oil has climbed to Rs 150 from the earlier priceof Rs 120.

Binita Ghimire sells roasted maize at Old Bus Park in Kathmandu.Though the Ghimire family toils from dawn to dusk, the income isnot enough to make a decent living.

"With Rs 100, we used to manage square meals in the past. Now, themoney is just enough for one meal," Ghimire, who is living at arented room in Khasibazaar with her husband and son, said.

She earns Rs 100 to Rs 150 a day. Her husband Sambhu, who works ina sweet shop at the bus-park, earns Rs 3,500 a month.

"Though we have been compromising on the quality of food, we havebeen finding it difficult to earn a livelihood," she added.

Hoping for a better life, Mahindra Ram, 64, came here from Bara 10years ago.

Ram, a cobbler by profession, works in the pavement of Bagbazaar.He and his four cobbler friends live in a rented room at Bagbazaar.

"We eat to sustain ourselves, not to savour the taste. We haven'teaten meat for months," he added. He said that he had stopped usingvehicles to travel short distances so as to save some money for hisfamily.

"Prices of foodstuffs have gone up, but our service chargeshaven't. No one will come to mend shoes if we increase our servicecharges. Instead of mending old shoes, people will buy shoes," Ramsaid.