The government on Monday formed a special task force at the district level to monitor the market conditions and supply chains of essential goods.

The Ministry of Commerce issued a notification regarding this initiative.

The ten-member task force will be led by an additional deputy commissioner of the district, serving as its convener. The assistant director of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection will act as the member secretary, according to the notification.

The eight other members will include the additional superintendent of police, the district food controller, the district animal resources officer, the district fisheries officer, the agricultural marketing officer, a representative of the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB), and two student representatives.

The ministry notification, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Md Mehedi Hasan, outlines the responsibilities of the special task force that will conduct regular inspections of markets, wholesale outlets, storage facilities, and other areas within the supply chain.

The task force will ensure that the price differences between production, wholesale, and consumer levels remain minimal, as stated in the notification.

After daily monitoring, the task force will submit a report to the Commodity Price Review and Forecast Cell of the Ministry of Commerce and the Central Control Room of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection. The Directorate will compile and review the reports from various districts and provide a summary to the Ministry of Commerce by 7 pm each day.

Members of the task force may co-opt additional personnel as needed, according to the notification.