In a renewed push to enforce consumer rights, Nepal’s Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection (DoCSCP) has fined 92 businesses Rs 20 million for violating Maximum Retail Price (MRP) labeling rules within the last two and a half months.
Out of 713 firms inspected, only 26 were fully compliant with the new regulation that became mandatory on April 2. Around 13% were caught flouting the law, prompting the department to issue warnings, demand documents from 308 firms, and instruct 278 others to correct their practices.
The MRP rule mandates businesses to clearly print price tags, manufacturer details, batch numbers, expiry dates, standardization marks, and informative symbols on products. It applies to a wide range of items including cement, rods, electronics, vehicle parts, clothes, and surgical goods.
While DoCSCP frames this as a step toward market transparency and fair trade, business lobbies argue that hasty enforcement and steep penalties risk fueling smuggling and discouraging legitimate enterprise. The policy, first floated in 2012, is only now being actively enforced — reigniting the long-standing tension between regulation and business flexibility.
