Soaring prices: Vegetables pushed off the menu

The impact of a delayed and deficient monsoon is being felt most by the poor. While tur dal used in sambar is selling at nearly Rs 100 a kg, now vegetables have disappeared from the menu of many.

NDTV found that in a Mumbai slum, there are many families who simply cannot afford vegetables any longer.

"We can't afford vegetables. We started eating them just once or twice a week. This month we haven't bought vegetables at all," said Pramila Manjalkar, a slum resident.

Pramila's family has eight members. There cumulative income is Rs 3,500. In January, their monthly food bill was Rs 2,000, and this month, it's a thousand rupees more. The result of it is that their meal is now restricted to just rice and dal.

"We have started mixing tur dal with moong and masoor dal," said Kavita Manjalkar, another slum resident.

Next door, Shubhangi Rodge, a domestic worker, has been forced to take on more jobs.

"Earlier I used to work in one house but now I work in three homes. But there are no savings. I have to borrow Rs 100-500 a month," said Shubhangi.

So far, she has managed to pay her children's school fees. But if prices continue to soar, their education could be the next casualty.