Replacing its ordinance of June this year, the Lok Sabha has passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 by voice vote. The Bill has been introduced to increase the availability of farmer’s produce by permitting non-license holders to trade freely as well.  The Bill is further strengthened when read with Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmer’s (Environment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, both of which have already been introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill empowers the Central Government to designate commodities into essential commodities. It also allows the Government to regulate the supply of certain commodities during extraordinary circumstances. The Bill also provides that the imposition of a stock limit on the produce shall be dependent on the price rise of the same. While the Bill has been passed by voice vote, the Bill has been under debate. 

Source: Live Law