Kashmir Valley becomes more expensive to Live

The cost of living in Kashmir is getting more expensive with retail inflation for past two consecutive months – December and January – has increased by more than 7 percent, which is double than all-India average of 3 percent.
The retail inflation, according the consumer price index (CPI) measured by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in the state for December and January was 7.15 percent and 7.01 percent as compared to all-India average of 3.41 percent and 3.17 percent for the same period than a year ahead.
However the state’s inflation rate for the month of November was only 4.71 percent against the all India average of 3.63 percent as per the consumer price index.
Kashmir-based economist Prof. Nisar Ali says the recent sharp price increase is due to the closure of Jammu-Srinagar for several days which caused shortage of essentials in the valley and shot up the prices.
“The retail inflation is mainly due to high food prices. Shortages of supplies had shot up prices since many perishables are imported and JK is largely a consuming state. Price has been twice or thrice higher in JK than outside markets lately but will stabilize as weather improves,” believes Prof Ali. Other states that have followed JK in terms of retail inflation in January includes Delhi with 6.32 percent and Himachal Pradesh at 5.92 percent inflation rate. “The rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir were quite high on the retail inflation chart and witnessed quite a high rate of price rise in January, 2017 year-on-year. In JK rural and far flung, the CPI inflation was 9.08 per cent,” the industry body Assocham has said in a recently released report.
Rates of vegetables and fruits in Kashmir had increased by Rs10-Rs 20 per kg during January as hundreds of truckloads with essentials were stranded on the Jammu-Srinagar highway which remained closed for several days due to snow. Mutton was being sold almost Rs 30 costlier than the government prices of Rs 400/kg at most mutton shops while Chicken prices hovered around Rs 140 per kg. The government approved rate for chicken is Rs 105/kg. Interestingly, prices of vegetables and livestock had remained towards the lower side during the unrest last year mostly due to a bumper production season of vegetables.