(a) whether the Government has curtailed the role of private trade by raising
Stock limits and imposing other controls in the case of wheat and rice;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the reasons therefor; and
(d) the future action plan prepared in this regard for the XI Five Year Plan?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS,
FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (PROF. K. V. THOMAS)
(a) to (c): Powers have been vested with State Governments for taking action under the provisions of Essential
Commodities Act, 1955 and Prevention of Blackmarketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities
Act, 1980 to prevent malpractices in essential commodities. To enable the State Governments/UT Administrations
to take effective action for undertaking de-hoarding operations under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, it
was decided to enable State Governments to impose stockholding limits by keeping in abeyance some provisions
of the Central Order dated 15.02.2002 in respect of pulses, edible oils, edible oilseeds, rice, paddy and
sugar for the period upto 30.09.2010. The commodity wheat which had also been included in the above list
has been removed w.e.f.01.04.2009.The State Governments/UT Administrations have been empowered to fix stock
limits in respect of these items to take effective action under the Essential Commodities Act against hoarders
and speculators and bring out hoarded stock of these items into the open market. The State Government/Union
Territory Administrations have fixed the stock limits as per their local requirement. As per information
furnished by the State Government/UT Administrations 23 State GovemmentsAJTs have either issued stock
limits for all the six items or for individual items or have issued only licensing requirements/stock
declaration (of these 23, 18 States/UTs have actually issued stock limit Orders; 5 States/UTs have
issued licensing requirements/stock declarations). The State Governments/UT Administrations have
been repeatedly requested to strictly enforce both the Acts and also monitor such enforcements.
(d): No such special action plan prepared for the XI Five Year Plan.