GoI proposes to make hoarding non-bailable offence

New Delhi, 25 July 2014

The Government intends to amend ‘the Essential Commodities Act, 1955’ and ‘the Prevention of Black marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980’.Amendments are proposed to make both the Acts more stringent and to strengthen its enforcement. This information was given by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

He said that the amendment proposed primarily relate to the following aspects:

The Essential Commodities Act, 1955:

1. Offences to be made non-bailable
2. Setting up of special courts
3. Definition of ‘Foodstuffs’

II. The Prevention of Blackmarketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980:

1. Increase in the limit of detention period
2. Increase in time limit for approval by State Government and
3. Reporting to the Central Government.

The Minister said that these efforts will strengthen the deterrence against the offences. Regarding States Government role, he said that The States have been empowered enough to deal with the cases of hoarding & black-marketing as they are the enforcing authorities. The vigilance, monitoring and market intelligence to prevent hoarding is to be ensured by the State Governments & UTs as enforcement authorities, he added