“While price control measures are taken by the Government to curb inflation, the market forces particularly produces of the goods of common use are hiking prices in violation of the basic spirits of consumer rights in absence of a Government mandated price control policy.”
Though consumer rights are much debated and discussed by both the people and as well as the Government in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country but unfortunately the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department once known for regulating prices of essential commodities has absolved itself of it’s duty to protect the rights of the consumers and even regulating the prices of essential commodities. While people within and outside the Government know it well that Government in any state or union territory of the country doesn’t has no constitutional right to absolve itself from the duty of regulating the prices of essential commodities but unfortunately the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has surprisingly stopped the routine practice of regulating prices of essential commodities in Jammu & Kashmir. While FCS&CA department owes explanations to the people for absolving itself of the duty to regulate the prices of essential commodities in Jammu & Kashmir, no explanations are sought from the department even by the newly created full fledged public grievances department headed by a full fledged administrative secretary in Jammu & Kashmir Government. While irrefutable fact is that price control is a government-mandated economic intervention allowed and encouraged to make goods of common use more affordable to consumers everywhere in the country, unfortunately a complete reversal of the price control measures by the FCS& CA department has hugely made goods of common use like fruits, milk, vegetables and certain poultry products unaffordable to people of low income groups due to unauthorised and uncontrolled hike in prices of essential commodities by the producers themselves without offering any explanations to either the Government or the consumers. While price control measures are taken by the Government to curb inflation, the market forces particularly produces of the goods of common use are hiking prices in violation of the basic spirits of consumer rights in absence of a Government mandated price control policy.
“While it is fact that producers and suppliers of the goods of common use don’t suffer losses when Government enforces price control measures but unfortunately consumers on finding goods of common use unaffordable virtually get the sense of loosing the right to purchase the goods of common use. Experiences of decades have shown that price control measures not only prevent producers from developing monopolies but also from dictating prices of goods of common use to consumers as the Government exercises the right to intervene and sets prices of goods of common to prevent producers and suppliers from creating monopolies and exploiting consumers.”
Even in a country like USA price controls are commonly imposed on consumer staples like food and energy products and rates are capped for even payment of rents by tenants and Government there in ISA also imposes minimums or maximums. While it is fact that producers and suppliers of the goods of common use don’t suffer losses when Government enforces price control measures but unfortunately consumers on finding goods of common use unaffordable virtually get the sense of loosing the right to purchase the goods of common use. Experiences of decades have shown that price control measures not only prevent producers from developing monopolies but also from dictating prices of goods of common use to consumers as the Government exercises the right to intervene and sets prices of goods of common to prevent producers and suppliers from creating monopolies and exploiting consumers.
