Hyderabad, July 18 (RAHNUMA): Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has ordered the officials to formulate a strict law to curb the growing menace of the adulteration of food and medicines.
The Chief Minister expressed serious concern over increasing cases of falling sick by people due to the widespread adulteration of vegetables, fruits, milk and other products.
At a review on the Telangana Food Adulteration and Drug Control Act (TGFADCA) at MCRHRD institute on Saturday, Revanth Reddy stated that people were suffering from health ailments because chemicals were being used indiscriminately to extend the shelf life of leafy vegetables, vegetables, and milk, and to artificially ripen fruits. He pointed out that chemical residues found in crop produce due to the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides could be one of the main reasons the foreign countries refused to import such products.
Revanth Reddy noted that some products are being sold in the market under the label of ‘organic’ and the people are purchasing them at high prices. There is no proper system in place to verify the authenticity of the available organic products in the markets, he said.
Taking serious note of the increasing cases of food and medicine adulteration, the Chief Minister directed officials to visit the countries which brought into force strict and comprehensive laws to curb adulteration and study their practices. The officials were instructed to prepare a comprehensive report based on the study. A bill would be drafted through discussion in the Legislative Assembly and also seeking people’s opinion, he announced.
Revanth Reddy directed officials to initially implement anti-adulteration measures in the CURE region on a pilot project. The authorities were advised to enforce regulations and proceed further based on any shortcomings or issues identified during implementation. The officials were also ordered the appointment of whistleblowers and the establishment of a toll-free number to receive complaints on adulteration.
Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, DGP CV Anand, CM’s Advisor and Ex-officio Special Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, CM’s Principal Secretaries V. Seshadri and N. Sridhar, and senior officials from various departments were also present.
