Maha govt forms committee to cap prices of masks & sanitizers

State govt asks committee to submit a report within three days

The Maharashtra Government has set up a four member committee headed by the Sudhakar Shinde, who is the CEO of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana to make recommendations to cap the prices of masks and sanitizers. The government move comes after it received multiple complaints with regard to sale of masks and sanitizers at inflated rates during the ongoing Covid 19 crisis.

The state gover nment on Friday issued a notification. The gover nment has asked the committee to submit a report within three days and thereafter the Department of Medical Education and Drugs will issue directives capping the prices of masks and sanitizers.

The Department of Medical Education and Drugs Officer told Free Press Journal that the prices of masks and sanitizers were regulated by the Centre after the lockdown was announced in March. However, the Centre removed masks and sanitizers from the category of essential commodity through an order released on June 30. ‘’The state government wrote to the Centre seeking inclusion of masks and sanitizers in the category of essential commodity. The Centre has yet to act. However, the government received complaints about the sale of these two products at higher prices. Therefore, the decision was jointly taken by the departments of public health and Food and Drug Administration to form the committee and later urge the Department of Medical Education and Drugs to cap the prices,‘’ he noted.

Free Press Journal had reported on July 7 the government’s intent to cap the prices of masks and sanitizers.