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REGISTERED No. D. 221

The Gazette of India

EXTRAORDINARY

PART II---Section 2

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY

No. 24] NEW DELHI, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1973/CHAITRA 29, 1895

Separate paging is g i v en to this Part in order that it may be filed

as a separate compilation.

LOK SABHA

The following Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on the 19th April, 1973: —

BILL NO. 21 OF 1973

A Bill to regulate the prices of essential articles of daily consump-

tion and to prevent profiteering in such articles.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Twenty-fourth Year of the Re- public of India as follows: —

1. This Act may be called the Profiteering Prevention and Price Con Short title.

trol Act, 1973.

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

Defini- tion

(a) "essential article" means and includes all types of food- grains, products derived from foodgrains, pulses, spices, domestic fuel including kerosene, edible oils, vegetable ghee, soap, selected and popular variety of cotton, woollen, silken and polyster cloth; sugar, baby-food, paper and paper products, drugs and medicines, and other articles of daily consumption that may be notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette.

3. (v) The Central Government shall by order, notified in the Offi- cial Gazette, from time to time, fix the maximum price for the essen- tial articles which may be charged by a dealer from the customers.

(2) The maximum price to be fixed under sub-section (1) may be

Fixation of maxi- mum prices of essential articles.

different in different parts of the country for different articles.

(337)

4. Every dealer shall exhibit at a conspicuous place at his shop or place of business the fixed price of essential articles and the details of stocks of such articles held by him in the prescribed form.

Exhibition of fixed price and details of stocks at shops.

5. Every dealer shall issue a receipt in the prescribed form for every article sold by him and every purchaser of such article shall ask for a proper receipt.

Issue of receipt for every article sold.

Penalty,

6. A dealer who asks for more than the fixed price or refuses to sell the essential articles or contravenes any of the provisions of this Act shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to five years or with a fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees or with both.

7. An offence punishable under this Act shall be a cognizable

offence.

Offence to be cog- nizable.

Police to take immediate action on complaint.

8. On receipt of a complaint against a person for an offence punish- able under this Act, the Station House Officer of the area shall register a complaint in the prescribed form and take immediate action to in- vestigate the matter and arrest such person, and the person so arrested shall be produced before a Magistrate within 24 hours of such arrest.

9. (1) Any police officer not below the rank of a Sub-Inspector of Police may arrest a person without warrant on receipt of a credible information that such person is concerned with an offence punishable under this Act, and shall proceed to take action under this Act.

Police action on receipt of credible Informa- tion.

(2) The person arrested under sub-section (I) shall be produced

before a Magistrate within 24 hours of such arrest,

10 of 1953.

10. An order under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 shall have effect notwithstanding the provisions of this Act or rules made here- under.

Order under Essential Commo- dities Act, 1955 to take effect.

11. The Central Government may, by notification in the Official

Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

Power to make rules.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The rise in prices, particularly in respect of foodgrains and other essential articles of daily consumption, is now to such an extent that both the down-trodden people and the middle-class people are confused as to how they will survive with their families. According to the figur- es given by the International Labour Organisation at Geneva, between 1963 and 1972, the price index rose by about 95 per cent, in India. That was the highest in the world. To check the rise in prices of essential articles of daily consumption, drastic action on the part of the Govern- ment is needed against the profiteers and black-marketeers. Prices of such articles are required to be regulated by Government under an ad- equate law.

Hence this Bill.

NEW DELHI; K. LAKKAPFA.

The 14th March, 1973.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

Clause 11 of the Bill seeks to empower the Central Government to make rules to carry out the purposes of the Act. The delegation of legislative powers is of a normal character.

S. L. SHAKDHER, Secretary.

PRINTED BY TBS MANAGER, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA PHE8S, MINTO HOAD, NEW DELHI AND PUBLISHED BY THE CONTROLLER OP PUBLICATIONS, DELHIj 1 9 73