The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) monitors the daily retail and wholesale price of identified essential food items through daily retail and wholesale prices reported by the Price Reporting Centres under the Consumer Affairs, Food & Civil Supply Department in the States and UTs.
On August 1, 2024, the Union Minister launched revamped price monitoring app PMS App 4.0, which now includes 16 additional food commodities such as Jowar (whole), Bajra (whole), Ragi (whole), Maida (wheat), Suji (whole), Black Pepper (whole), Coriander (whole, dry),Cumin Seed (whole), Red Chillies (dry, loose with stem), Turmeric powder, Banana, Desi Ghee, Butter (pasteurized, salted), Eggs (farm eggs, medium size), Besan, Brinjal. The total number of food commodities under the Price Monitoring System has increased from 22 to 38, improving market oversight.
Year-on-year inflation rate (3.65%) based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of August, 2024, is second lowest in the last five years. Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) based Food inflation for August 2024 is the second lowest since June, 2023.
Onion Procurement for Buffer Stock: a quantity of 4.70 LMT of Rabi-2024 onion has been procured by NCCF and NAFED for the Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) buffer against target of 5 LMT. Monitoring of procurement and disposal is being conducted by SupplyValid to ensure transparency and accountability in Onion Operations. Government has started sale of onions through NCCF, NAFED at Rs. 35/kg from 5th September, 2024 to stabilize onion market prices and to provide relief to consumers. Retails disposal is being done in major consumption centres across the country such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore etc. Further, bulk disposal has also been initiated by the government.
