New Delhi: In a move to augment the availability of Tur Dal to consumers at affordable prices, the Government will release Tur Dal from the national buffer till imported stocks arrive in the Indian market. In this regard, the Department of Consumer Affairs directed National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and dispose of Tur through online auction among eligible millers.
Tur will be released from the national buffer in a ‘calibrated and targeted’ manner, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution stated here today. It elaborated that the quantities being auctioned and the frequency will be calibrated on the basis of the assessed impact of the disposal on the availability of Tur to consumers at affordable prices.
It may be recalled that the Government had, on June 2, 2023, imposed stock limits on Tur and Urad by invoking the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 in order to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation and also to improve affordability to the consumers. Under this order, stock limits were prescribed for Tur and Urad until October 31, 2023, for all states and Union Territories.
Stock limits applicable to each of the pulses individually are 200 Metric Tonne for wholesalers; 5 MT for retailers; 5 MT at each retail outlet and 200 MT at the depot for big chain retailers; last 3 months of production or 25% of annual installed capacity, whichever is higher, for the millers. The order has also made it mandatory for these entities to declare the stock position on the portal (https://fcainfoweb.nic.in/psp) of the Department.
The Ministry claimed that the implementation of stock limit orders and the status of stock disclosure on the portal are continuously monitored by the Department of Consumers Affairs and the State Governments. In this regard, data on stocks held by various entities in warehouses of Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs), stocks pledged by market players with banks have been crosschecked against the quantities declared on the stock disclosure portal.
The State Governments are continuously monitoring the prices in their respective States and are verifying the stock positions of stock-holding entities in order to take strict action on those who violated the stock limits order, the Ministry said.
– global bihari bureau
