Bhopal: As many as 285 cases have been registered against adulterators so far in the campaign launched since August and a penalty of Rs 30 lakh 62 thousand has been imposed on adulterators in 220 cases on the instructions of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Rs 15 lakh five thousand has already been recovered from the total penalty imposed so far. Hearing in 39 cases registered in CJM court is in progress. Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Prabhuram Chaudhary has issued directions to the departmental officers to take more stringent action against the adulterators under the campaign. He informed that a campaign has been launched against adulterators to ensure availability of pure food items to the citizens of the state.
Minister Dr. Choudhary has issued instructions to the departmental officers to provide pure food items to the people of the state and to take strict action against adulterators and those who manufacture and sell fake commodities. He informed that divisional mobile labs vans was sent off from Bhopal by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently. These mobile labs are working on the spot for generating public awareness regarding collection, testing, and adulteration of food items in remote areas. The Controller Food and Drug Administration has included activities like increasing the number of licenses and registrations, conducting clean street food hubs, Eat Right School, Eat Right Campus and public awareness programmes in the districts included under the Eat Right Challenge. In the action taken during the campaign against adulteration, 6428 samples were taken for inspection and samples of 2,941 food items were taken for investigation. Surveillance samples of 521 foods were collected from the State Food Mobile Laboratory, 2158 through Magic Box and 438 from other sources. The test report of 3638 samples was released by the State Food Laboratory out of 6428 surveillance samples collected for testing. Notices were issued to 484 adulterators under Section 32 under the provisions prescribed against food adulterators.
The State Food Laboratory has collected food item samples in the last three months and issued reports of 3638 samples. Of these, 3064 samples were found to be of standard level while 311 samples were found to be sub-standard. In addition, 207 samples were found to be fake. Of the total food samples collected, 24 samples were found to be unsafe. In addition to Section 32 and other sections 32 samples were found to be restricted under other sections.
Minister Dr. Choudhary said that the state government is campaigning against food adulterators vigorously. To ensure that there is no adulteration of food items, a Food Safety Administration Department team is taking action in collaboration with the Food Department, Health Department and the District Administration throughout the state.
