In a step that comes as a relief to commoners, the Kerala government has decided to impose a price cap of Rs 13 on a litre of bottled drinking water. The move comes after the state made it an essential commodity.
At present, in the state, one litre of bottled water costs Rs 20. Apart from the reduction in price, the government has made BIS water quality standards mandatory for all bottled water manufacturers.
“A notification on the new price– Rs 13 per litre– will be issued within two days. We have taken legal opinion on bringing bottled water under the category of essential commodities,” Food and Civil Supplies Minister P Thilothaman toldPTIon Thursday, February 13.
The new price cap was decided after conducting an audit of the production cost. While many companies had demanded the price cap to be fixed at Rs 15, the government did not comply. The announcement came after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan signed the Food Department Proposal.
In 2018, during a meeting between bottled water manufacturers and the government, it was decided to bring down the price to Rs 12 per litre. However, due to opposition by some of the traders and manufacturers, it could not be implemented.
