An Attempt to optimize Vegetables/Fruits spending

"India’s Food Inflation Quickens to 12.21%, a Nine-Month High", says  Bloomberg report . 

With Mamta ready to withdraw support from UPA govt on Petrol Price hikes and Prime minister Manmohan Singh attributing high inflation in vegetables and fruits prices to growing prosperity, These are difficult times for poor and middle class families in India. I happen to buy vegetables today(5th Nov 2011 from local hypermart in Bangalore and did a quick comparison with prices offered by HOPCOMS(The Horticultural Producer's Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society Limited).  Here is the comparison

It was expected for prices to be higher at Village Hypermart considering the higher profit orientation but price difference was as high as 160% for Green chilli. Except Onion, all vegetables were priced higher than HOPCOMS.

So Key Takeaways in Bangalore

• Before you buy, Compare veggie and fruit prices  with HOPCOMS prices on their website  or just by sending SMS HOPCOMS VEG OR HOPCOMS FRUIT to 9243355223.
• Find nearest HOPCOMS stall near your home when you plan to buy

Linking Penalties to Inflation

Government of India seems to be very active in annulling dead laws and reframing them in order to keep them meaningful. There are hundreds of laws which need much amended and reviewed .Laws need to be modernized and made relevant for time we are living. To give an example, Under the Aircraft Act, 1934, the Government can control "manufacture, possession, use, sale of aircraft". And ‘aircraft’ includes balloons and kites. This is so ludicrous and in a way symbolizes our archaic laws
We all must have read the warning or ignored it after reading. Laws are made as if they are to be broken. Law says that “smoking is punishable”. We can’t even communicate certainty of punishment. It is just another example of how communications are loosely done.
Another thing noticeable is that in most cases, a paltry sum of penalty is imposed. Is it strong enough to detract? Everybody knows it is not then why do we set them so low they become meaningless. How come Lawmakers arrive at such figures defying all the logic? Even if we set them high while framing laws, over the period of time, they are not revised and hence lose their significance.
Rents increase annually, DAs are linked to Inflation, and almost all costs gets a periodic revision but why can’t we link penalties for committed crime to average inflation growth rate so as to keep them stringent and deterrent enough for offenders of law?