Thursday, 08 June 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Terming the distribution of fortified rice in the PDS shops and in the Mid Day Meal (MDM) of school children as detrimental to the health, the Congress party has claimed that the Union government is serving poison to the 80 crore population of the country. Interacting with the media persons at the State headquarters of the Congress party here on Wednesday, the Vice president of State Congress Mathura Dutt Joshi said that two senior members of the NITI Aayog and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) have warned the government that distribution of fortified rice can cause diseases such as anaemia and diabetes. He said that the Modi government is consistently ignoring the objections of the experienced scientists and is administering slow poison in the food plate of the poor. Joshi claimed that the haste in which the Modi government is imposing the scheme of distribution of fortified rice overruling the objections of the experts shows that there is a major scam in the scheme.
The chief spokesperson of the State Congress, Garima Dasauni said that the member National technical board of NITI Aayog Dr Anurag Kurpad conducted a study in which the increased levels of serum ferritin were found in the children given fortified rice. She said that India has the dubious distinction of being the diabetes capital of the world and the experts have warned that the consumption of fortified rice can increase the incidence of diabetes. She added that the NITI Aayog reports suggest how the approval was given to fortified rice ignoring the fact that the FSSAI had kept the fortified rice grains in the ‘ high risk’ category. Launching an attack on the Modi government, Dasauni said that there is an multinational angle behind this plan to foist fortified rice on half of the population of the country. She claimed a company of Netherlands has strived hard to capture Rs 1800 crore business of fortified rice in India. The Congress leader said that though the people of the country have given mandate to the Modi government, it does not mean that the government can play with the lives of the people.
The media advisor of PCC president Amarjeet Singh and others were present on the occasion.
