Govt takes steps to monitor Tur, Urad stock levels; warns hoarders of strict action

Officials visited 10 locations across 4 States to observe stock disclosure status of Tur and Urad, the Central government note said. (Representative Image)

Top officials of the Union ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, visited ten different places across four states in the last few days to examine the stock disclosure status of Tur and Urad dal, with an aim to put a lid to rising prices of the pulses.

According to a press release dated April 17, Secretary of Consumer Affairs Rohit Kumar Singh had a meeting with these officers who visited key pulses markets and met with market participants.

Prices of Tur and Urad along with other pulses have been on the rise over last few weeks, according to media reports.

To assess the situation at the ground level, the Department of Consumer Affairs has deputed 12 senior officers to visit various places in the states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, in addition to the Secretary, Government of India, meeting with the All India Dal Mills Association in Indore on April 15, according to the release.

The press statement added that interactions with market participants on the ground and state officials revealed that, while the number of registrations and stock disclosures on the e-portal is increasing, a significant number of market participants have either not registered or have failed to update their stock positions on a regular basis.

Further, the government said stocks in transaction, such as farmer's stock lying in a mandi for auction or stock awaiting customs clearance at a port, have been seen to evade the present surveillance system. In an intentional effort to avoid stock declaration, it has also been noted that millers, traders, and dealers have turned to holding their stock in warehouses in the name of farmers.

Market participants in a number of locations, including Indore, Chennai, Salem, Mumbai, Akola, Latur, Sholapur, Kalaburagi, Jabalpur, and Katni, have been educated on the significance of stock declaration and asked to do so honestly and frequently in order to avoid harsh action from the State Government, such as the seizure and confiscation of undeclared stocks.