Rajesh Tope, the Health Minister of Maharashtra, has set up a four-member committee in order to curb the prices of face masks and sanitizers. This decision was taken to keep the black market in check as people have been overcharged during the pandemic.
This decision was taken in a meeting with Rajendra Shingane, the Cabinet Minister for Food and Drugs Administration. With face masks and sanitizers being widely used for the prevention of the coronavirus, the demand for the same has seen exponential growth in the last couple of months. The committee appointed by Tope aims to set a maximum rate for these masks and sanitizers in order to control their prices so that the people can procure them at a controlled rate. Moreover, the committee has been directed to submit its report in three days. Tope further added that the woes of the common man would further be nullified if both the items can be bought at a reasonable rate.
Earlier in July, Tope had stated that the state government will be appealing to the Centre to include masks and sanitizers in the list of essential commodities. The Health Minister further said that these need to be added under the Essential Commodities Act in order to make them more economical for the citizens throughout the state. Furthermore, Tope stated that till the time there is no vaccine available for the coronavirus, prevention is the only way adding that all the advertisements, be it from the government bodies or other private agencies, have urged people to wear masks and use sanitizers to protect themselves from the deadly coronavirus.
Share
Tweet
