Consumer Affairs Secretary Leena Nandan said that has said that Face masks and hand sanitisers are no more essential products as their supply is sufficient in the country and, therefore, are now kept out of the purview of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
Earlier, on March 13 the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry had declared face masks and hand sanitisers as essential commodities for 100 days to boost supply and prevent hoarding of these items in its fight to check the spread of COVID-19.
Leena Nandan further said that “We have checked with all states and got information from them that there is sufficient supply of these two items. There is no supply concern,”
Empowering states to regulate production, distribution and prices of these items and also crackdown on hoarding and blackmarketing Masks (2-ply and 3-ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitisers were brought under the Essential Commodities Act.
Nandan told “These two products were declared as essential items till June 30. We are not extending further as there is enough supply in the country,”
