Masks, sanitisers cut from list of essentials
NEW DELHI: The Centre has removed masks and sanitisers from the purview of the Essential Commodities Act, citing the absence of reports of shortages of such items from anywhere in the country. The items were brought under the purview of this law in March when demand for them outstripped supply, with an eye on capping prices. Masks and sanitisers remain the first line of defence to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.
“There are no adverse reports with respect to price or availability to continue (to treat) face masks and hand sanitisers as essential commodities,” a Union consumer affairs ministry order said last week.
Since late March companies have significantly increased production of sanitisers and several have also entered these businesses. The emergence of twoand three-play cloth masks as adequate protection (as opposed to the N95 masks that people thought were the only protection in March) has also played a role in ensuring adequate supply.
Officials allayed fears that the move may lead to a spike in prices citing their adequate supply. “Usually retail prices go up when there is more demand than supply. A few months ago, there was a shortage of these items, which is why they were brought under the Act... Now there is indigenous manufacturing also of these items. We are comfortably placed, and experts reviewing the matter did not find the need to continue the restrictions,” said an official in the pharmaceuticals department , who asked not to be named.
Officials said the supply of personal protection equipment, including masks, and hand sanitisers, has now been streamlined at hospitals too.
“There was a shortage a few months ago but now these are readily available, and even the prices have come down,” said a person associated with Max Healthcare, which runs a chain of hospitals.
The production and supply of masks and hand sanitisers were regulated as per the law and various states put price caps on them. Hoarding of any item declared as an essential commodity is an offence under the Act and can lead to imprisonment of up to seven years.
A second official in the pharmaceuticals department said a frequent review of these items in all states and Union Territories showed that supply is enough to meet demand. “Therefore, no shortage is anticipated. The government will continue to monitor the prices of these commodities under regular channels.”
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade on March 20 banned exports of masks, textile raw material used for making them, and ventilators in view of the pandemic. The order denotifying masks and sanitisers as essential items will have no bearing on the export ban, the second official said. That means they can’t be exported.
On June 29, the restricted export of PPE kits was allowed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. A monthly quota of five million PPE for Covid-19 units has been fixed, for issuance of export licences.
Abhishek Aggrawal, an analyst with commodities trading firm Comtrade, said that if the supply is equal to or more than demand, then there is no legal justification for treating any item as essential. “The original notification declaring these items as essential was till June-end.” “Even after four months, we are still not getting adequate number of sanitisers in our hospitals and clinics. Unless these items are easily available in chemist stores at reasonable rates, its removal from the list of essential items is not the right step,” said Dr Deepak Baid, president, Association of Medical Consultants,
Mumbai.
AB Unhale, commissioner of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra, said the decision has been taken after a survey across the country. “Now, masks and hand sanitisers are available at reasonable rates, so removal of the products from the list will not lead to overpricing.”
After repeated protests, the Central government had imposed a price cap on two- and threelayer masks and hand sanitisers, but didn’t include N95 masks on the list.activists Anjali Damania and Sucheta Dalal had filed a petition in the Bombay high court seeking price restrictions on N95 masks, which is the most essential safety gear for medical practitioners. Talking about the change, Damania said, “Businessmen were lobbying for this for days and now they have won. People in rural areas still don’t have proper masks and santizers. N95 masks are being sold at ₹300, which was earlier available for ₹45.”