ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES ACT AND THE ORDINANCE OF 2020
Essential commodity There is no specific definition of essential commodities in The EC Act. Section 2(A) of the act states that an “essential commodity” means a commodity specified in the “Schedule” of this Act. The Act gives powers to the central government to add or remove a commodity in the “Schedule.” The Centre, if it is satisfied that it is necessary to do so in public interest, can notify an item as essential, in consultation with state governments. At present, the “Schedule” contains 8 commodities — · Drugs; · Fertilisers, Whether Inorganic, Organic Or Mixed; · Foodstuffs, Including Edible Oils; · Hank Yarn Made Wholly From Cotton; · Petroleum And Petroleum Products; · Raw Jute And Jute Textiles; · Seeds Of Food-Crops And Seeds Of Fruits And Vegetables, · Seeds Of Cattle Fodder,Jute Seed, Cotton Seed; · Face Masks; And Hand Sanitizers By declaring a commodity as essential, the government can control the produc...