Government is monitoring prices of twenty two essential commodities on a daily basis. Replying to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, Consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the Price Monitoring Cell apart from monitoring also provides necessary inputs for making appropriate policy interventions to check the prices. He informed the House, government has banned export of all pulses except kabuli chana and lentils. Mr Paswan said import of onion and pulses are allowed at zero import duty.Replying to another question, the minister said the Food Corporation of India procures foodgrains directly in some states along with state agencies. Mr Paswan said the central government has urged the state governments to open adequate number of procurement centres. He said FCI has opened over forty thousand purchase centres for paddy procurement.