Centre asks states to file criminal charges on hoarders of pulses

Asks states to initiate action under Section 6A of Essential Commodities Act

The government says it is stepping up operations to check hoarding and black marketing by importers and traders of pulses. It now plans to ask state governments to file criminal charges in this regard. Officials said the department of consumer affairs has written to all state governments to initiate action under Section 6A of the Essential Commodities Act. It believes that despite all the effort, 200,000-250,000 tonnes of pulses are still illegally stored, with a reluctance to release these ahead of Diwali.

By official estimates, state agencies have seized around 120,000 tonnes of pulses, deemed as stored beyond the permissible limit. However, much of this is unprocessed. “In review meetings held by the Cabinet secretary, it has been decided to step up the de-hoarding activities and not ease any restriction,” officials said. There is also a feeling among officials that state agencies have not conducted raids properly in ports, except at Mumbai’s.  Officials said traders’ method to escape the stock holding limit has been to mix locally purchased pulses with imported ones. Before October, the Centre had extended the stock holding limit on pulses but had exempted importers, exporters and food processors from the ambit. However, on October 18, the Centre had removed these exemptions.

Meanwhile, in poll-bound Bihar, the Centre has decided to sell pulses at cheaper rates through khadi bhandar stores. Bihar has around 500 of these, under the Centre’s Khadi and Village Industries Commission. Delhi has, as already reported, asked states to offload the entire stock of confiscated pulses in retail markets in the next one week, the aim being to lower prices ahead of Diwali.