Chapter 14 of Punjab Land Records Manual

CURRENT PRICES

 In connection with this chapter, paragraph 819 of the Land Administration Manual should be read.

14.1  Register maintained by Deputy Commissioners - (i) Every Deputy Commissioner shall maintain a register as in Form P.C.1 showing the retail prices at district headquarters of every article specified in the crop abstract of the district referred to in paragraph 10.1 of  manual and firewood and salt. This register shall be arranged in twelve sheets , one sheet for each month, and the prices will be recorded twice a month, viz, on the 15^th and on the last day of the month, those of each monthof the current year following the entries for the same month of the preceding year. The duty of maintaining this register is entrusted to the district kanungo, who should obtain his information from the tahsildar of the headquarters' Tahsil.

(ii)  Return sent to Director of Land Records - From the prices contained in this register  a return as in Form P.C.2 will be compiled in the General Office of the Deputy Commissioner, and despatched on the Ist and 16^th of each month to the Director of Land Records. It is not necessary to keep a copy of this return. If the price of any article is not stated , the reason (e.g. "not procurable", "not produced", etc.) should invaribly be given.

(iii)  The price in this return are those required for the reports submitted to the Government of India, and the articles of which prices are shown should not therefore be altered or added to in any case except under instructions from the Financial Commissioners.

14.2  Report of Wholesale prices - Deputy Commissioners are reuired to report to the Director of Land Records on the Ist and 16^th of each month, the wholesale prices of the principal foodgrains etc., in form P.C.3. This information is supplied to the Deputy Commissioners by the tahsildars of Jullundhar, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Phagwara, Pathankot, Bhatinda, Faridkot and the Naib Tahsildar Abohar and Dhuri after collecting figures from their mandis.

Care shold be taken to prepare this return strictly in accordance with the instructions given at the foot of the form. REgisters will be maintained in the districts named for wholesale prices in the same way   as for retail prices.

14.3.- 14.7.   (Deleted)

14.8.  Preparation of lists or prices in special emergencies - Orders as to lists of prices which have to be prepared in special emergencies when troops are on the march, or for checking of accounts, will be found in part G (price lists) of standing order No.58-Troops which is repeated here.

(PART G OF STANDING ORDER NO.58)
PRICE LISTS

1.  (a) for tropps on the march - (i) Besides having to supply articles, Deputy Commissioners may also be called upon to furnish information aas to the current prices for the same. This information is usually required merely as a safeguard against overcharging on the part of shopkeepers in the camp.

(ii)  For this purpose Deputy Commissioners should give to tahsildars a list of the camping grounds where price lists are to be kep, and also a list of the articles to be included in these price lists. Nothing should be included which cannot form the subject of a requisition as described in the preceding paragraph. The price lists need only be prepared during the camping season when troops are on teh march, and in the case of the less frequented camping grounds, it will be sufficient to prepare them on intimation being received of the passage of troops. The 'prices' quoted will be those prevailing in the vicnity of the camping ground in question with such enhancement for carriage as may be reasonable.

2.  Cancelled.

3.  For audit of bills for compensation for dearness of provisions -(i) A thrid occasional price list which Deputy Commissioners may be called upon to supply is connected with the audit of bills for compensation for dearness of provisions consumed by troops on the march. The following rules relating to this occasional price list are still in force.

(ii)  When so called upon, Deputy Commissioners will supply prices current of any of the following articles mentioned in the requisition of which the form is given under paragraph 11.2 of Part F of standing order No.58:-

(1)  Gram
(2)  Barley
(3)  Bajra
(4)  other inferior grains
(5)  Grass
(6)  Wheat Flour, usual first or second quality
(7)  Rice, usual first or second quality
(8)  Dal      }
(9)  Ghee   } first or second quality
(10)Salt     }
(11) Gharrahs.

(iii)  It appears to be the practice of Commanding Officers in some cases to ask for prices of both first and second class qualities of wheat flour, dal, ghee and salt. If such a requisition  is made and quotations are available for one quality only, that should be assumed to be the first or usual quality unless it is expressly reported to be somethind else and the entry against the second quality should be "Nil".

(iv)  The prices to be entered are to be ruling or prevailing prices. If the average of a week or a month is available it may be given. But it is not necessary to record the prices daily for the purpose of striking an average. What is wanted is a statement of the prices usually paid during the period, if any specified in the requisition, or if no period is specified, during the week preceding the requistion.

(v)  When purchases of the provisions have been made in a bazar, the current prices to be supplied by civil officers are to show the rates ruling in that bazar, the rates to be shown are those prevailing in the large town or bazar nearest to the place or purchase. It follows that the rates must be reported by the tahsildar in whose tahsilthe bazar or the town in question is situated. The tehsildar shall primarily be responsible for the accuracy which he reports to be prevailing. The certificate to be supplied to the Commanding Officer must be signed by the Deputy Commissioner, whose signatures will imply that he is satisfied that the tahsildar's report be accepted as correct.

4.  The price list enumerated above, togehter with those periodical returns, which are described in this chapter, are all that Deputy Commissioners can be called upon to supply to military officers, and no other information  should be given without the sanction of Financial Commissioner.

14.9  Maintenance of a general register of prices at every headquater's tahsil - At every headquarters tahsil and for Abohar and Pathankot a general register of prices must be maintained for such articles as are required locally in order to comply with the orders contained in this chapter and standing order No.58. Entries will be made daily or weekly as circumstances require. At other tahsils it is left to the discretion of the Deputy Commissioner to abolish this register if price lists are rarely or never supplied to the military authorities under part G of  standing order No.58 (Reproduced in paragraph 14.8 supra.)

14.10  Price list for general information In certain large towns, especially where there is a large civil station, a practice exists by which Deputy Commissioners publish a price list for general information. As long as this information is obtained from the tahsil registers referred to in paragraph 14.9 supra and causes no more labour than is involved in copying out the entries, the practice is unobjectionable, but is should be realised  that it is not obligatory and is supported only by usage. The matter is left entirely to the discretion of the Deputy Commissioners. A simple way of meeting the expectation of the public is, where it can be so arranged without cost to Government, to send a weekly list to the local press. Individual applications for information as to prices should , in no circumstances, be entertained.

14.11  Price list not furnished to hospitals - No list of current prices will be furnished to hospitals or dispensaries under the control of the Director Health Services and any application for the supply of such lists should be referred for the orders of the Financial Commissioner.

14.12  Instructions for the attestation of prices - It is the duty of the Deputy Commissioners to see that instructions contained in paragraph 14.1 and 14.2 supra are properly carried out by the Extra Assistant Commissioners responsible for the attestation of prices. Care should be specially taken to avoid, in all lists of prices compiled, the following obvious errors :-

(i)  the entry of constant prices for months together in one station, while in neighbouring stations considerable  fluctuations are shown ;

(ii)  the entry of wholesale prices higher than the retail prices reported for the same food grains in the same station for the same period ;

(iii)  the entry of prima facie absured variations in prices from fortnight to fortnight in the same station.

(iv)  the entry of prices apparently for the same quality of any particular foodgrain in successive periods when in fact the prices quoted are not for the same quality.

Experience has shown that unless precautionary meausresare taken, the actual work of recording prices is apt to degenerate into routine and to be left to a low paid clerk, and most of the mistakes may ultimately be traced to this fact.

14.13  Inspection of registers of prices - The Director of Land Records is required to check the register of prices maintained at district and tahsil offices at the time of his inspection

14.14 [Deleted]

14.15  Lists and registers of prices to be prepared with care - With regard to the lists and registers referred to in paragraphs 14.9 and 14.10 supra the attestation of Deputy Commissioners is drawn to the fact that the nirkhnama rates are often below bazar rates and consequently contractors and shopkeepers at camping grounds do not received full price. On the other hand, it must be remembered that the military authorities sometimes issu contracts, e.g., for the supply of bhusa to camel crops, based on the rates shown from time to time in the list of  bazar prices supplied to them. These lists should therefore be carefully prepared to ensure that the public money is not wasted by the record of exaggregated rates.

14.16  [Deleted]

FORM P.C.1

(PARAGRAPH 14.1)

__________________DISTRICT

REGISTER OF RETAIL PRICES FOR THE MONTH OF __________STATED IN KILOGRAMS PER RUPEE.

Year     First or Second                              Remarks

             fortnight

 INSTRUCTIONS

Arrange the various articles of produce as nearly as may be under the groups and in the order prescribed for statement IV of the Season and crop report. No attempt should be made to strike averages for the fortnight. The rate given should be that obtained on the last date of each fortnight. The prices are to be those obtained at the headquarters of the district and no averages are to be struck for other places in the district. The salt of which the prices current will be entered should be that commonly used in the district.

 

FORM P.C.2
_________DISTRICT

RETAIL PRICES CURRENT OF FOOD-GRAINS ETC. AT THE HEAD QUARTERS OF THE DISTRICT AT THE CLOSE OF THE HALF MONTH ENDING____________________________(KILOGRAMS)

PARAGRAPH 14.1 (ii)

1                                                           2                  3                4

Items                                          Amount per

                                                      rupee

                                               ----------------

                                                   kilogram

Wheat

Barley

Rice  (Basmati)

"       (Common Sort)

Jowar (Sorghum Vulgara)

Bajra (Pennistem typhoidium)

Massur

Mash

Gram (Cicer arietinum unhusked)

Moong

Maize

Arhar (Cejanus indicus)(husked dal)

(Tut)

Soft Coke

Fireweood

Charcoal (Refined ground)

Salt (Common unground)

Sugar (Refined)(Retail)

Gur (Sugar raw)

Cotton (unginned) {Desi

                        {American

Cotton (cleanned) {Desi

                       {American

Potatoes

Goat Meet

Pork

Fish

Eggs

Onions

Chillies

Turmeric

Groundnut

Til

Sarson

Kerosene Oil

Ghee (Desi)

Hydrigebatir Vegitable Oil

Milk

INSTRUCTIONS

No attempt should be made to strike averages for the fortnight. The rate given should be that entered in form P.C.1 and the other instructions appended to Form P.C.1 apply equally to this return.

NOTE :- 1.  Full explanation should be given for all differences of 20 percent, or over in quotations as compared with those in the preceding statement.

2.  The cause of ommission of any price should be given in the column of remarks.

FORM P.C.3

STATEMENT SHOWING PRICES CURENT (WHOLESALE) OF FOODGRAINS ETC.IN THE MART _______ OF THE ___________DISTRICT DURING THE FORTNIGH ENDING______________.

                            (PARAGRAPH 14.2)

                          (Wholesale price per quintal)

Items                             Wholesale price             Remarks

                                         in rupees

Rice unhusked (Basmati)

Rice husked (Basmati)

Rice unhussked (Common Sort)

Rice husked (Common Sort)

Wheat

Barley

Oats

Jowar

Bajra

Maize

Gram

Dal (Arhar or toor)

Moong

Mash

Massar

Linseed

Rapeseed(Sarshaff)

Groundnut

Til (jinjilli seed)

Sugar (raw) gur

Sugar (refined)

Cotton    {Desi

(Cleanned)  {American

Cotton         {Desi

(unginned)   {American

Cotton seed

Ghee

 Potatoes

Onions

Chillies

Flour Wheat(Maida)

Atta Wheat

Tobacco

Turmeric (underground)

Salt refined (Ground

       common(unground)

Dry hides (ist and 2nds {           }Framed

rejection) of          {Cows  }

                        {           }Country

                        {       }Framed

                        {Bulls    }

                                {            }Country

Hydrogenated Vegitable oils

Vrab

Grass (dry)

Bhusa (White)

Jowar stalks

Bengal Coal (Soft Coke)

Kerosene oil (per tin staint the brand)

Toraia      

INSTURCTIONS

(a)  No return need be made by any district of prices of articles which are not staples of local trade.

(b)  The rates quoted should be those for wholesale transacations on the last day fo teh fortnight under report, or , in default of such for the most recent transactions in the fortnight. Where wholesale price is not available retail price should be shown with the prefix "R" against the rate.

(c)  Following quantities shall be regarded as wholesale transactions:-

(1)  at least 40 kilometers of tobacco leaf (dry) turmeric (unground), and raw and refined sugar and at least 4 Quintals for all other articles

(d)  The prices should be rendered in terms of rupees for a quintal.

(e)  The prices should be collected on the 15^th and on the last day of each month, on which dates the retail prices of foodgrains and salt arecollected and of which fortnightly returns are now published in the official gazette. This arrangement will enable the staff which now collects the retail prices to collect the wholesale prices at the same time.

(f)  Full explanation should be given for all differences of 20 percent, or over in quotations as compared with those in the preceding statement.

FORM P.C.4.
[Deleted]

FORM P.C.5.
[Deleted}

FORM P.C.6.
[Deleted]