PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The State government has launched the ‘Aaj se Thoda Kam’ campaign with the aim of providing nutritious food to pilgrims on the Char Dham Yatra circuit. The Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FDA) commissioner and Health secretary R Rajesh Kumar informed that the campaign has been started at the ground level on the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Health minister Dhan Singh Rawat.
He said that the main aim of this initiative is to control the extra salt and sugar in food items as a preventive measure against ailments like cardiac disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Restaurants and eateries are being encouraged to prepare healthful foods considering nutritional balance with the help of checks and food experts. Banners, posters and digital publicity is being used to raise awareness on this campaign, Kumar said.
He further informed that to boost food safety, the department has also started the Re-purpose Cooking Oil (RUCO) initiative under which strict monitoring is being undertaken to check the repeated use of cooking oil and prevents its detrimental effects on the health of consumers. Used oil will be collected through the aggregator network and used for biodiesel, soap and other non-food products. This will help in preventing cardiac disease, hypertension and liver related ailments, the commissioner said.
“In order to ensure food safety, the administration has implemented the ‘triple-E’ strategy focusing on educating, enforcing and establishing. Those in the food business and citizens are being informed about the illeffects of reused oil, food standards are being strictly enforced and an effective system is being put in place to collect and dispose of used oil. Providing safe and nutritious food to pilgrims on the Char Dham circuit is a priority of the State government. Initiatives like ‘Aaj se Thoda Kam’ and RUCO have been launched, which will not only help protect the health of citizens but will also be good for the environment,” Kumar said.
Additional commissioner Tajbar Singh Jaggi informed that the FDA teams are prepared to effectively ensure food standards on the Yatra circuit. Adulteration or any other act which hampers food safety will not be tolerated. Strict action will be taken in such cases, he said.
