Compiled by YASMIN ABDUL LATIF, BEH YUEN HUI and R. ARAVINTHAN
THE struggles of several Indian women in Mentakab, Pahang, were highlighted by Makkal Osai as the rising cost of living affected their purchasing power.
Homemaker Kalyani Saravanan said prices of staple vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and aubergines had risen sharply.
“The family budget is already blown by the beginning of the month, and we have to adjust how much vegetables we buy.”
Another homemaker, identified only as Sumathi, said the days when RM100 could cover a week’s groceries were gone.
She said that with incomes remaining stagnant, rising food prices had made it increasingly difficult to run a household.
Letchumi Chandru said vegetable prices were now equally painful at supermarkets and traditional neighbourhood markets.
“Daily meals now require financial planning for ordinary families because of the rising costs,” she said.
The women urged officers from the relevant agencies to closely monitor prices at markets.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
