Consumers urge action on MRP

KATHMANDU, Sep 23:

Consumers and activists have urged the government to focus on enforcing the maximum retail price (MRP). Market monitoring should be MRP-centric for a full-fledged implementation of the relief programme, they said. 

The government had set the MRP of 15 essential consumer goods to control skyrocketing prices on September 13 amid severe criticism from the private sector — Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Confederation of Nepalese Industries. However, trader groups — Nepal Chamber of Commerce, and Nepal Retailers’ Association — had agreed to support the government’s initiative. 

MRP has already been published in the Nepal Gazette, so it must be implemented, said consumer rights activist Jyoti Baniya. “Market monitoring mechanism of Department of Commerce and Supply Management should lay more emphasis on it,” he said, adding that blindly believing the traders will not work. 

The department, in its circular to the media on September 14, had mentioned that it had started MRP monitoring from the same day. However, it has not punished a single trader in the last one week. According to the department, there has been no MRP violation in the market till date. “We will take immediate action if consumers complain about it,” said director general at the department Narayan Prasad Bidari. 

However, consumers have not felt any change in the market. There is no change in price due to the MRP, said Binita Karki, a housewife shopping at Mangal Bazar of Lalitpur sub-metropolis. “I bought jira masino rice for Rs 58 kg today,” she said. However, the MRP of one kg jira masino is Rs 55.

Consumers in New Baneshwor, Kalimati and Anamnagar echoed Karki. They said setting MRP is not enough. “Strict monitoring is a must to implement it,” said a college graduate Hirdaya Sapkota at Anamnagar.

Source: THT