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The Centre has directed the states to conduct verification of pulses stocks and take strict action on undisclosed stocks of pulses, including Tur and Urad.
The Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, Rohit Kumar Singh, on Wednesday reviewed the status of stocks disclosure of Tur and Urad with major pulses producing and consuming states. Senior officials from states like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh attended the meeting. The number of entities registered and quantities of stocks disclosed were reviewed individually with the states, and areas where thrust needs to be given were highlighted in order to ensure disclosure by entities such as importers, millers, stockists, traders etc. Officials said that while the number of entities registered in the stock disclosure portal has increased, it was observed that the actual number of stakeholders in certain states could be higher. The quantity of Tur stocks disclosed as compared to production and consumption has also been found to be low in certain states. To widen the coverage of market players, the state governments were asked to look into the data pertaining to FSSAI licences, APMC registration, GST registration, warehouses and custom bonded warehouses. The states informed that they are intensifying surveillance and shared the steps taken and the measures being taken by them to ensure mandatory registration and disclosure of stocks on the stock disclosure portal. The states were directed to conduct verification of stocks held by various entities and take strict action on undisclosed stocks under relevant sections of the EC Act, 1955, and the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980. Officials said that in order to assess the situation on the ground, the Department of Consumer Affairs has also deputed 12 senior officials to different state capitals and districts across major Tur producing and trading centres to obtain ground-level feedback from various market players, millers and storage operators. Their feedback would determine further course of action. --IANS kvm/arm ( 348 Words) 2023-04-12-21:38:02 (IANS)
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