Workshop on strengthening price monitoring system

In a bid to strengthen the price monitoring mechanism in Nagaland and support the Centre’s efforts toward inflation control under the Price Stabilization Fund (PSF), a two-day capacity building workshop-cum-training programme was held at the Directorate of Food & Civil Supplies, Dimapur on June 20 and 21, 2025.
The event was jointly organised by department of Food & Civil Supplies (F&CS), and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.
Delivering the welcome address, Chubawati Chang, director of F&CS, stated that the primary objective of the workshop was to enhance price surveillance mechanisms in the 16 Price Monitoring Centres (PMCs) spread across the State. He stressed the importance of timely and accurate daily reporting of prices for 38 essential commodities from all districts using the Price Monitoring System (PMS) App developed by the Ministry.
On Day-1, Sandeep Kumar, Statistical Officer from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, delivered a detailed presentation on price monitoring methodology. He highlighted challenges in collecting district-level data and underscored the critical role of Data Entry Operators (DEOs) in providing reliable information which forms the basis for market analysis, policy decisions, and timely interventions by the government.
During the session, DEOs from various districts shared on-ground challenges and technical issues they encounter during data collection. Addressing the participants, Additional Director I. Anungba Sanglir urged DEOs to engage seriously with the training and maintain close coordination with their respective District Civil Supplies Officers to ensure data accuracy.
In the post-lunch Q&A session, deputy director and nodal officer of the Price Monitoring Cell, K. Mhonthung, gave an interactive presentation on best practices in data collection, referencing field visits conducted earlier that morning. He reiterated the importance of ground verification to ensure the integrity of the information reported to the Ministry.
The second day of the workshop focused on the theme “Awareness Campaign on the Possibility of Pulses and Vegetable Production in Nagaland”.
The session was chaired by Lalramdinpuii Renthlei (IES), director Ministry of Consumer Affairs. In her keynote address, she emphasized the Government of India’s objective to control inflation by stabilizing market prices and called on the State to actively monitor the implementation of PSF and assess its impact. She also drew attention to regional discrepancies in price monitoring across Northeast India and stressed the need for accurate and timely reporting to close those gaps.
Department officials highlighted the economic and environmental factors influencing market demand and emphasized the importance of improving local production to mitigate price fluctuations.
Joint director of Horticulture, Dr. A. Senka Jamir, shared insights into the potential of increasing pulses and vegetable production in Nagaland. He discussed ongoing efforts to enhance crop yields and reduce dependence on external markets.
The workshop concluded with a collaborative session involving representatives from the Agriculture, Horticulture, and Allied Departments. The discussion focused on developing an integrated strategy to support production activities, strengthen local supply chains, and enhance the overall effectiveness of price monitoring.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Dr. Kapenlo Thong, joint director F&CS, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for their participation and called for continued cooperation to meet consumer demand and ensure a robust price monitoring mechanism that benefits the people of Nagaland.