Srinagar, Sep 11, KNT: Household budgets across Jammu and Kashmir are facing continued pressure from the rising cost of essential commodities, with consumers complaining of higher prices of food and other daily-use items even as official agencies maintain mechanisms for monitoring prices and checking violations in the markets.

The latest available J&K price data shows retail prices of several essential commodities at elevated levels. The average retail price recorded for milk is ₹62.67 per litre, sugar ₹63.33 per kilogram, moong dal ₹121.33 per kilogram and masoor dal ₹104.33 per kilogram.

For consumers in J&K, the issue is not confined to the headline inflation rate. The cost of a monthly household basket is determined by what families actually pay for food, cooking essentials and other daily-use commodities in their local markets.

J&K already has an official system for monitoring prices. The Directorate of Economics and Statistics says retail prices of essential commodities are collected from selected markets and shops in all 20 districts of the Union Territory. The department says the information is analyzed to identify price fluctuations and regulate supplies, while daily prices of 22 essential commodities are also submitted to the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs for monitoring.

The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department is also responsible for monitoring the prices and availability of essential commodities and protecting consumer interests. Its enforcement machinery includes Legal Metrology authorities responsible for checking compliance relating to packaged goods, weights, measures and pricing.

There have been recent enforcement actions. The Legal Metrology Department said it realized about ₹44.55 lakh in revenue and ₹9.10 lakh through composition during August 2026, while more than 50 Improvement Notices had been served to establishments for minor or rectifiable deficiencies. In September, two online sellers were also penalized ₹25,000 each in a consumer-protection action.

In Jammu, a market inspection in Trikuta Nagar and adjoining areas on August 30 found deficiencies in MRP display and expired products at some establishments, following which notices were issued.

Yet the continuing concern for consumers is whether enforcement and price monitoring are translating into relief at the retail counter.

The J&K Economic Survey 2025-26 provides an indication of the longer-running price pressure. According to the Survey, J&K’s combined inflation remained above the all-India rate throughout 2025. J&K’s inflation stood at 4.8% in January 2025 against 4.3% nationally and was 4.4% in September against 1.4% nationally. For December, J&K recorded 2.3% against 1.3% for India.

The difference between official inflation figures and the experience of individual households can also arise because inflation is an average measure and does not represent the exact basket purchased by every family. A household spending a larger share of its income on food and essential commodities can feel a sharper increase in its monthly expenditure when those items rise in price.

The latest Crisil household-food indicator illustrates the continuing pressure on food budgets. The cost of a home-cooked vegetarian thali rose 1% year-on-year in August, while the non-vegetarian thali rose 5%. Crisil attributed the elevated cost mainly to onion, vegetable oil, rice and LPG prices.

For J&K consumers, the issue now extends beyond the question of whether inflation is rising or falling on paper. The key concern is the price actually paid for essential commodities in neighbourhood markets, the gap between prescribed and retail prices where violations occur, and the effectiveness of inspections and enforcement in preventing overcharging.

With official price-monitoring machinery already operating across all 20 districts, consumers are likely to look to the administration for closer enforcement, transparent publication of district-wise prices and effective action against overcharging wherever violations are found. [KNT]

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