The state governments have taken various initiatives to make pulses available at reasonable prices besides continuing enforcement measures to check hoarding of pulses. The four state governments have started selling tur dal at a lower price of Rs 120-145/kg at retail points. The tur dal rate for retail distribution has been fixed at Rs 140/kg in Gujarat, Rs 120-140 in Chhattisgarh, Rs 145 in Uttarkhand.
The states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are distributing one kg of tur dal at a highly subsidized rate of Rs 50 through ration shops, while Tamil Nadu is selling urad and Canadian lentils at Rs 30 per kg to all consumers.
The prices of dal have risen across the country due to a shortfall in domestic output by two million tonnes in 2014-15 which has been hit by poor rains. There is also global shortage of lentils. Till last week, nearly 75,000 tonnes of pulses were seized from hoarders in raids across 13 states.