Food prices in India rise as truck drivers strike
A strike by truckers in India entered its fifth day Wednesday, and led to steep price increases for food and commodities as people horded groceries amid fears that truckers would completely halt deliveries, according to the Associated Press.
Trucking companies are protesting a 10 percent service tax on freight booking agents included in the government budget being considered by parliament. Talks between government officials and the All India Motor Transport Congress, the largest trade group of truck owners in the country, have not resolved the standoff. The trucking group has threatened to park its 2.4 million rigs until November if the government does not rescind the tax, the news service reported.