Face masks, hand sanitisers no more under ‘essential commodities list’: Government

July 8: Face masks and hand sanitisers will no longer be categorised as essential commodities as per a new order passed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. “As on date, there are no adverse reports from States/ Union Territories with respect to price and availability for face masks and hand sanitisers. Therefore the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Department of Consumers Affairs, has decided not to continue these items as essential commodities under the EC Act 1955 beyond 30.06.2030, “ said a ministry memorandum dated July 1, 2020.

It may be noted that both masks and hand sanitisers were both listed as essential commodities as there was a sudden spike in demand for these items and many instances of overcharging occurred. However, no such exorbitant pricing is allowed under the Essential Commodities Act 1955, which has stringent provisions to control price and stock of all products that are listed as essential under law.

The decision to discontinue these two items as essential commodities came after the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution took the feedback from all the stakeholders. Also, the ministry received no complaints from the states and UTs regarding the availability of the two products. The communication also noted that the new status has been made applicable from July 1, 2020. The fresh removal of the two items from the essential category will allow companies to bring back price differentiation on the basis of ingredients and specifications.