Govt imposes stock limits on wheat to check hoarding, price rise
New Delhi (PTI): In a move to check wheat price rise and hoarding, the Centre on Monday imposed stock holding limits on traders, wholesalers, retailers and processors with immediate effect.
The restrictions will remain in force until March 31, 2025, across all states and Union Territories.
Under the new rules, retail outlets and individual stores of big chain retailers are allowed to stock up to 10 tonnes of wheat, an official statement said.
Traders, wholesalers, and large depots of big chain retailers face a cap of 3,000 tonnes each.
For processors, the limit is set at 70 per cent of their monthly installed capacity (MIC) multiplied by the remaining months of the 2024-25 fiscal.
The government has mandated all entities to declare their stock position and regularly update it on the Department of Food and Public Distribution's portal (https://evegoils.nic.in/wsp/login). Those holding stocks exceeding the prescribed limits have been given a 30-day window to comply with the new norms.
The decision comes after a high-level meeting, chaired by Home Affairs and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, held last week, where officials were directed to monitor wheat prices closely.
The government had then signalled its readiness to intervene in the market to ensure price stability for consumers.
Official data reveals that wheat and wheat flour prices have risen by up to Rs 2 per kg compared to last year.
As of June 20, the average retail price of wheat stood at Rs 30.99 per kg up from Rs 28.95 a year ago. Wheat flour prices have also climbed to Rs 36.13 per kg against Rs 34.29 per kg last year.
The government maintains that it has sufficient wheat stocks to meet the requirements of the Public Distribution System (PDS) and other welfare schemes, which amount to approximately 18.4 million tonnes.
As of June 18, the government procured 26.6 million tonnes of wheat for the central pool in the 2024-25 rabi marketing year, marginally higher than the 26.2 million tonnes procured in the preceding year.
The stock limit intervention is seen as a preemptive measure to check unscrupulous speculation and ensure that wheat prices remain stable in the coming months.
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6 women dead, 8 persons injured as bus rams into van in Gujarat's Sabarkantha
Sabarkantha (Gujarat) (PTI): Six women were killed and eight other persons injured after a private bus crashed into a van on a highway in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on Wednesday, police said.
The van was ferrying women from Modasa in Aravalli district when a speeding bus hit it from behind on National Highway 48 connecting Shamlaji to Himmatnagar in the district, Deputy Superintendent of Police A K Patel said.
According to police, the women were part of a catering team for social events. They were travelling from Modasa in the neighbouring Aravalli district to Hunj village in Himmatnagar to attend a function when they met with the accident.
Six women passengers of the van were killed, Patel said.
Seven other women and the van driver suffered injuries, according to police.
The injured persons were rushed to the Himmatnagar civil hospital. The condition of two of them was critical, the hospital's medical officer, Dr Dhrupad Chauhan, said.
The bodies were sent to a government hospital for a postmortem.
VIDEO | Gujarat: Six persons were killed and four others injured after a private bus rammed into a van on a highway in Sabarkantha district on Wednesday, police said.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 29, 2026
The van carrying passengers was on its way from Shamlaji to Himmatnagar when the speeding bus hit it from… pic.twitter.com/Gvr79LfCvi
