The Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of Meghalaya, organised a workshop on the Price Monitoring System at the Secretariat, Shillong, on Tuesday, aimed at strengthening price surveillance, ensuring fair market practices, preventing hoarding and safeguarding consumer interests.
The workshop brought together officials from across the State, including representatives from various districts and civil sub-divisions, to deliberate on the existing price monitoring and reporting mechanisms and address challenges encountered during field-level implementation.
Addressing the gathering, Minister-in-Charge of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Shri. Methodius Dkhar, highlighted the Government’s responsibility in monitoring the prices of essential commodities and protecting consumers, particularly vulnerable households, from the impact of abnormal or unjustified price increases.
He said effective and timely price monitoring was crucial to prevent consumers from suffering due to unnecessary escalation in the prices of essential commodities.
The Minister emphasised the importance of regular and accurate reporting, noting that the department collects price data on 41 essential commodities from different districts of the State.
He urged the concerned Price Monitoring Centres and officials to accord priority to timely reporting, stating that reliable information was essential for the Government to track price trends and take appropriate measures whenever required.
Acknowledging the challenges faced by officials in remote areas, particularly those related to communication and connectivity, Dkhar encouraged participants to openly share their concerns and difficulties. He said discussions on such challenges would help make the monitoring system more practical and effective.
He further noted that the presence of officials from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, provided an opportunity for the State’s officials to highlight field-level concerns and seek clarification on issues relating to the implementation of the Price Monitoring System.
During the programme, Assistant Director, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, Smt. Radhika Goyal, and Senior Statistical Officer, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, Shri Sandeep Kumar, made presentations on the Price Monitoring System, reporting mechanisms and monitoring requirements.
Officials from various districts and civil sub-divisions also participated in an interactive session, during which they raised and sought clarification on several issues and challenges encountered while monitoring and reporting the prices of commodities in their respective areas.
The workshop was attended by Commissioner and Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Shri. Pravin Bakshi, IAS; Smt.I Mawlong Director, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs; officials of the department and other participants.
