Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has announced plans to set up a dedicated system to strengthen food safety regulations and check food adulteration.
The mechanism would be similar to Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (Hydraa) and Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) established by the state government, he said to the media on Monday.
On the first anniversary of the launch of distribution of fine variety rice through Public Distribution System (PDS), he said the distribution of coarse variety of rice through PDS helped drive up the expenditure without helping the poor.
“That’s why we announced a bonus of Rs. 500 per quintal to encourage farmers to cultivate fine variety rice,” he said.
VC Sajjanar: No tolerance for food adulteration
Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said that public health is the highest priority, adding that the chief minister’s decision to establish a dedicated mechanism is commendable.
In recent times, authorities have registered 61 cases and seized 15 kgs of adulterated food products and about 64 people have been arrested in just one month.
Sajjanar termed food adulteration as a ‘grave attack on the society’ and not just a crime. “From biscuits and ice creams we fedd to our children lovingly to essential items such as tea powder, milk, curd, ginger garlic paste, adulteration is showing up in everything we consume, it is unacceptable,” he said.
Hyderabad Commissionerate’s H-FAST team is cracking down on adulteration networks, he said. “We will not spare anyone who risks lives for profits. The fight for safe, adulteration-free food will intensify.”