KATHMANDU: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the legislature-parliament has instructed the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) to crack down on unethical businesses through effective market monitoring citing incidences of black-marketing and distribution of substandard food as relief materials.

PAC also directed the MoCS to stock food for at least three months considering the probable food shortage in the earthquake-hit districts.

During the meeting with MoCS, lawmakers raised the issue of rotten rice that was distributed by the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) in the earthquake affected districts and asked why it was taking so long for the government to taking action against WFP.

Speaking at the meeting, Commerce Minister Sunil Bahadur Thapa informed that the Nepal Food Corporation is managing stock of food eyeing probable disasters landslides and floods in the wet season.

He also assured the PAC that he would talk to the high level UN authority regarding the negligence of WFP in Nepal at the time of crises. “We will go through diplomatic channel,” said Minister Thapa, adding, “WFP also needs to carry out its internal investigation and suspend the staffers that were involved in procurement of the substandard food items.”

In the meeting, Shambhu Koirala, director general at Department of Commerce and Supply Management — the authorised market monitoring body — said that they have been facing problems in market monitoring in recent days due to lack of support from the Nepal Police.

Reportedly, police officials are not joining the department’s team while conducting monitoring, so it is hard to take action against the wrongdoers on the spot.