Kathmandu, May 25 -- Radha Sanjel from Kirtipur bought a 25-kg bag of Pearl brand jeera masino rice for Rs2,000 a month ago. It now costs Rs2,250, an increase of Rs250 per bag.

Not only rice, the prices of mustard and sunflower oil have also soared.

A litre of sunflower oil now costs around Rs300, while mustard oil sells for more than Rs400 per litre, up by Rs20 to Rs30.

"Everything is expensive," said Sanjel, who works as an office assistant at a private hospital.

She and her husband together earn Rs65,000 a month to support their family of four.

"Almost all our income goes into consumption. It is really difficult to manage household expenses, school fees, transportation costs, and healthcare," said Sanjel, whose two children study ...