Other States - Rajasthan   

Drive against food adulteration launched

JAIPUR: A month-long ambitious drive against adulteration of food and other consumer items started in Rajasthan on Monday. Random raids will be conducted across the State during the campaign to curb adulteration and stop malpractices such as black-marketing and cheating in weights and measures.

Christened as “Shuddh Ke Liya Yuddh” (war for purity), the campaign has been taken up by the State Food and Civil Supplies Department, which will act as the nodal agency, and is supported by the Agriculture, Home, Industry, Traffic, Medical and Health and Local Self Government Departments.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Babulal Nagar called upon the citizens, consumer organisations and traders’ bodies to take part actively in the drive and make their contribution to the protection of public health.

He said a large number of complaints about adulteration in food items and misuse of consumer goods during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party regime had been received.

“Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot gave instructions for launching the drive at a high-level meeting recently when it was pointed out that adulteration flourished during the BJP regime and needed to be tackled jointly by all departments,” said Mr. Nagar.

The Minister said a State-level committee had been appointed to conduct the drive on a permanent basis in the future. It will review the progress of the campaign every 15 days and ensure that adulteration is completely eliminated.

Special committees have also been appointed at the district level to collect food samples from shops and commercial establishments and send them for analysis. They will check the weights and measuring scales, besides monitoring the quality of commodities such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

A control room in the Food and Civil Supplies Department will function from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during the campaign, while action will be taken against the offenders immediately and their licences cancelled.

According to an official release, the department has already examined 771 items and sent 100 of them to laboratories for quality tests. Over 50 licences of dealers and shopkeepers have been suspended and nine cancelled.

FIRs have also been registered with the police against six persons in this connection.

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