Essential commodities are those that the Central Government may notify and declare to be an essential commodity for the purpose of this Act. The Act extends to the whole of India including the State of Jammu & Kashmir. It came into force on 1.4.1955. The main purpose of the Essential Commodities Act is to ensure that the common man gets the essential commodities without hindrance on the part of the trade. Essential commodities are divided into two categories, viz., the items of industrial consumption and the items of general consumption. The first type consists of coal, textile, iron and steel etc. and the second type consists of food-stuffs, cattle feed and others.