States to set up district-wise price monitoring centre for essential items

A senior government official indicated that the Center is making every effort to manage the prices of basic commodities through the Price Monitoring Division

All states should set up price monitoring centres for critical goods in all districts, Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs said on Friday, reported Livemint.

While speaking at a workshop in Guwahati, Assam the official stated that the Center plans to reach its goal of creating 750 price monitoring centres by the end of March 2023, for which financial support will be provided.

Singh clarified that the Centre is making every effort to monitor the costs of necessities in order to keep inflation under control through its Price Monitoring Division. The Department of Consumer Affairs has a system for gathering price information on 22 of the nation's most important food categories.

In order to address the challenges surrounding consumer protection in North Eastern States, the workshop was organised in collaboration with the Government of Assam.

The Secretary explained how the Department, National Commission, State Commissions, District Commissions, and the entire ecosystem are working together to protect the interests of consumers through Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), NTH, Legal Metrology, and the National Consumer Helpline in his inaugural address.

As the National Standards Body, BIS is responsible for developing Indian Standards, implementing voluntary and mandatory standards, such as Quality Control Orders, and providing consumers with the assurance that what is being offered and the quantity being offered is exactly the same as what is stated on the product.

Discussing consumer protection, he emphasised that the infrastructure of commissions, consumer commission staff, and use of technology are three areas through which the entire eco system of consumer protection is created strong and accountable.

According to the policy, which stipulates that 50 per cent of funding will come from state governments and 50 per cent from the federal government, it was promised that the department would give all State and District Commissions the support it needs to have the infrastructure necessary for the effective operation of consumer commissions. All state government representatives were asked to provide any outstanding utilisation certificates from the previous year, without which the centre would be unable to release funds.