Wednesday, 28 August 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Taking a stern note of the cases of delay in the cases filed for adjudication in relation to food security, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi has directed the officers concerned/district magistrate/ADM to hear the cases quickly. She also expressed concern over the delay in timely compliance of the orders. Raturi chaired a meeting of the State Level Advisory Committee on safe food and healthy diet at the State secretariat on Tuesday.
In the meeting the CS directed the officers to undertake special campaigns during festivals to test milk, sweets and other food products and take strict action against those involved in adulteration. Raturi directed the officers to ensure that the upcoming food testing lab of Garhwal division in Dehradun starts operation within two months. The State government has approved 13 posts for the new lab. The proposed lab being set up with a budget of Rs 23 crore will have an initial capacity to test 5,000 samples.
The CA also directed that a modern microbiological lab should be set up in Rudrapur. The state government has also approved eight posts on contract basis for the Food Safety on Wheels programme. In the meeting the CS gave instructions to increase pace of testing in the State and said that the test reports should be made available in a time bound manner. She also gave instructions to train Bhojanmatas and Anganwadi workers in food testing.
The CS asked the education department to increase awareness regarding food safety in all the residential schools. She said that all the schools, colleges, universities, government and non-government campuses should be linked with the Eat Right Campus campaign.
It was informed in the meeting that additional food safety officers have been deployed to check the food items being sold on the Char Dham Yatra route and to stop the sale of adulterated food items. The officers informed that an intensive checking campaign is being conducted at the entry routes of the state by the officers of the food safety and vigilance cum intelligence unit working under the Food Safety and Drug Administration department.
Principal Secretary L Fanai, Secretary R Rajesh Kumar and officers of education, health, Police, women and child development departments attended the meeting.
