An essential commodity was defined in Defence of India Rule 34 (3) as food, water, fuel, light, power or any other thing essential for the existence of the community which is notified in that behalf by Government; and an essential article was defined in Defence of India Rule 81-A (aa) as an article which the Provincial Government or the District Magistrate, being of opinion that the maintenance of the supply thereof was essential to the community, declared by order in writing to be an essential article, A commodity other than food, water, fuel, light and power had thus to be notified before it could be an essential commodity, and before an article could be regarded as an essential article, there had to be a written order so declaring it.
