Thrissur, Tuesday 02 February 2010: Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran said that the Centre and the State should take joint efforts to check the rise in the prices of essential commodities, instead of blaming one another.

He was speaking after inaugurating a three-day State conference of Concrete Workers Supervisors Association here.

“The blame game cannot bring down prices,” he said. “Everyone concerned should sit together to evolve strategies. The State government is trying hard to contain the price rise with stringent measures,” he said.

He noted that the benefits of economic development achieved by the country did not reflect in the life of the common man. “A shift in the priority of the country from agriculture to industry had caused a severe food crisis. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, about 300 countries would witness civil wars for food by 2015,” he said.

The Minister said the government was willing to address the valid demands of the Concrete Workers Supervisors Associations.