The government has capped maximum retail price of hand sanitizer at Rs 100 per 200ml bottle till June 30 this year amid sharp rise in the prices of this product amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Similarly, price of a 2 ply (surgical) mask has been capped at Rs 8 and that of 3 ply (surgical) mask at Rs 10 till June 30, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said in a statement.

"The price cap has been imposed taking into account the sharp increase in prices of raw materials used in making of face masks and hand sanitizer," Paswan said.

The government notification also states that the retail prices of 3ply masks shall not be more than the prices prevailing on February 12, 2020 and should not be more than Rs 10 apiece.

“The retail prices of hand sanitizers shall not be more than Rs 100 per bottle of 200ml. The prices of other quantities of hand sanitizers shall be fixed in proportion of these prices,” the government notification stated.

Earlier this month, the government had declared sanitizers and masks essential commodities" to prevent hoarding and price manipulation of such goods.

On March 19, the government had placed price limits on alcohols used in making hand sanitizer.

This comes after several stores were reported to be selling masks and sanitizers at exorbitant prices. In Bengaluru, over 200 medical shops were raided for allegedly selling masks and hand sanitizers at high prices, police said last Sunday.

The government of Tamil Nadu too warned shops against selling face masks, hand sanitisers and soaps at higher prices.

The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus cases in India currently stand at 291, with 22 patients recovering. There have been a total of 4 deaths.

With PTI inputs