The Centre has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, to monitor the stock of Tur held by entities such as importers, millers, stockists and traders in close coordination with the state governments.
The decision to set up the panel came following reports of market players not releasing stocks despite the regular arrival of imports in good quantities.
The announcement to monitor stock disclosure indicates the government’s intention to deal with hoarders and unscrupulous speculators in the market. It also indicates the government’s determination to keep prices of Tur under control in months ahead.
”The government is also closely watching the stock position of other pulses in the domestic market to take necessary preemptive measures in the event of unwarranted price rise in the coming months,” an official press note today said.
It may be recalled that the government had issued an advisory to the States/UTs on 12 August 2022, to enforce stock disclosure in respect of Tur under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Further, in order to facilitate smooth and seamless import, the government has removed the ten per cent duty applicable for Tur imports from non-LDC countries as the duty creates procedural hurdles even for zero-duty imports from the LDCs.