- The Central government mandated the declaration of rice and paddy stock by traders, wholesalers, retailers, and millers to curb hoarding and check rising food prices. - Entities are required to update stock details on the official portal of the Department of Food and Public Distribution weekly. - This administrative step aims to ensure transparency, improve domestic market availability, and manage food inflation. - Measures such as stock disclosure reflect regulatory mechanisms used alongside buffer stock management to control agricultural commodity inflation. - **Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution:** The nodal central ministry responsible for formulating and implementing national policies on food security, public distribution, consumer welfare, price monitoring, and regulating essential commodities like rice and paddy. - **Food Corporation of India:** A statutory body established under the Food Corporations Act 1964 that acts as the nodal agency for procuring food grains at MSP, maintaining buffer stocks, and managing public distribution. **Introduction** The Central government has mandated the declaration of rice and paddy stocks by wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers, and millers across India. Aimed at preventing hoarding, checking artificial price inflation, and ensuring transparency in market availability, the directive requires stakeholders to declare their stock positions regularly on a dedicated government portal. This regulatory intervention is part of broader administrative tools deployed by the government to manage food security and inflation. **Core Issue and Detailed Points** - The Central government mandated the declaration of rice and paddy stock by traders, wholesalers, retailers, and millers to curb hoarding and check rising food prices. - Entities are required to update stock details on the official portal of the Department of Food and Public Distribution weekly. - This administrative step aims to ensure transparency, improve domestic market availability, and manage food inflation. - Measures such as stock disclosure reflect regulatory mechanisms used alongside buffer stock management to control agricultural commodity inflation. **Key Statutory Bodies, Acts & Concepts** - **Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution:** The nodal central ministry responsible for formulating and implementing national policies on food security, public distribution, consumer welfare, price monitoring, and regulating essential commodities like rice and paddy. - **Food Corporation of India:** A statutory body established under the Food Corporations Act 1964 that acts as the nodal agency for procuring food grains at MSP, maintaining buffer stocks, and managing public distribution.