AMN
The Centre today said action against hoarders and blackmarketeers has been stepped up and the state governments have seized over 5,800 tonnes of pulses in five states over the last few months.
Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha reviewed the prices, production, procurement and availability of pulses in a meeting with secretaries of Consumer Affairs, Agriculture, Commerce and other Ministries.
The meeting also reviewed the action taken by state governments to prevent hoarding of pulses, besides discussing about progress of sale of imported pulses at subsidised rates in Delhi and other states.
The Centre has directed States to enforce the Essential Commodities Act more stringently. Besides de-hoarding measures, state governments have started withdrawing stock holding limit exemptions given to pulse importers, exporters, licensed food processors and large departmental retailers, following the central government’s direction.
To control prices, Government has taken several steps, including creating 40 thousand tonnes of buffer stocks and improving domestic supply of pulses through imports. On sale of imported pulses, Centre has fully operationalised sale of imported Tur Dal at a subsidised rate of 120 rupees per kilogramg in nearly five hundred outlets of Kendriya Bhandar and Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets in Delhi.