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Coronavirus outbreak: Govt to regulate production and price of masks, hand sanitizers

Essential Commodities Act and the Disaster Management Act invoked to regulate production and price of masks, hand sanitizers.

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The Centre on Friday invoked the Essential Commodities Act and the Disaster Management Act to regulate the production and price of masks, hand sanitizers as these items were being sold at high prices due to shortage amid novel coronavirus outbreak. 

As the government gets into battle mode to combat the coronavirus, it declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitizers as 'essential commodities' under the Essential Commodities Act to stop shortages and black marketing of these items.

This comes as India on Friday reported its second death due to coronavirus. While the first death was reported from Karnataka, the second casualty has been confirmed in Delhi. 

The coronavirus scare has led to a shortage and black marketing of masks and hand sanitizers with stores selling them at exorbitant prices.

These items will remain under essential commodities segment till June-end, a move aimed at ensuring availability at reasonable prices and cracking down on hoarders and black marketeers, the government said. 

The government has notified an Order under the Essential Commodities Act to declare these items as "Essential Commodities" up to June 30, 2020 by amending the Schedule of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. 

The law empowers the Centre as well as states to ask manufacturers to enhance production, quality, distributions of masks and hand sanitizers.

The government has also issued an advisory under the Legal Metrology Act under which states can ensure the sale of both the items at MRP.

The decision would empower the Government and States/UTs to regulate the production, quality, distribution etc. of masks (2 ply & 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers and to smoothen the sale and availability of these items and carry out operations against orders speculators. It will enhance the availability of both the items to the general people at reasonable prices or under MRP.

The government said it has taken the decision in view of the ongoing outbreak novel coronavirus and concern of the logistics for COVID-19 management particularly during the last couple of weeks and that masks and hand sanitizers have been noted to be either not available with most of the vendors in the market or are available with great difficulty at exorbitant prices.

The states and UTs may take action against the offenders under the EC Act and PBMMSEC Act. An offender under the EC Act may be punished with imprisonment up to 7 years or fine or both and under the PBMMSEC Act, he can be detained for a maximum of 6 months.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also notified these items as drugs with immediate effect to enable the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to regulate the availability and prices of the surgical and protective masks, hand sanitizers and gloves in public interest.

The decision was taken at the request of NPPA which had asked the ministry to notify these items as drugs with immediate effect to enable the body to regulate the availability and prices.

The government has invoked the Disaster Management Act to ensure prices regulation and availability of masks, hand sanitizers and gloves.

The NPAA has directed to all state/UT Governments to take necessary steps to ensure sufficient availability of these items at prices not exceeding the MRP printed on the pack size.

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