Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) system coming into effect in the country, the State Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department today issued a directive to traders in Odisha to paste paper price tags on packaged food items as per the GST tax slab. The department also advised consumers to compare the old and new prices before purchasing food items.
Speaking to the media on the new directive, State Food Supplies Minister Surya Narayan Patro said strict guidelines have been issued to the traders to dispose of the old packaged food items lying in their outlets within a stipulated time period. They have been told to sell those by September after pasting the GST price tags on paper slips, Patro added.
Notably, packaged food items with new MRP as per the GST tax slab printed on its foils would be available in the market starting from Septmember this year as per a Central Government deadline.
Informing that prices of non-packaged food items like rice, wheat, split green gram (Moong), and green pigeon peas (Kandula) have come down significantly after government ended its control on these items and declared them GST free, Patro said customers should be cautious and make a through check of the price tag before purchasing them.
The minister said teams of supply officers and food inspectors would conducts checks at outlets across the State to guarantee strict adherence to the directives by the traders. These checks would be conducted in the months of July and August, the minister informed.
Supply Inspectors in the State would also visit PDS points in their respective blocks to check fair distribution of rice, wheat and 600 grams Kerosene to the beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Each Supply Inspector would visit at least 10 dealers during this period, he said.
Ms Kalinga