Telangana Sets Up Agency for Food Adulteration: CM Revanth Reddy
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that his administration would create a specific system to monitor food adulteration.
The suggested method to detect food adulteration would be akin to the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) and the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) established by the state government, he mentioned during a casual conversation with reporters here.
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Revanth participated in a lunch organized by the state government for MLAs and MLCs here to mark the first anniversary of the distribution of high-quality rice through PDS.
He stated that the government chose to implement the supply of fine variety rice because it believed that the distribution of coarse variety rice through the PDS merely created a financial burden without genuinely assisting the poor.
The state government motivated farmers to grow high-quality rice varieties by offering a bonus of Rs 500, he states.
The fine variety rice program is aiding 3.39 crore individuals in the state (approximately 86 percent of the population), and the distribution of fine rice has resulted in a reduction of black market activities involving PDS rice (coarse variety).
Remembering that the Congress administration under Chief Minister Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh launched a one-rupee kilo rice program in the 1980s, he mentioned that the initiative, nonetheless, failed to effectively reach the populace.
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Nevertheless, the one kg rice for Rs two program initiated by TDP founder N T Rama Rao had a wide reach among the populace, he stated.
Since that time, coarse variety rice was supplied in PDS, yet people weren't eating it. He stated that this has resulted in unscrupulous individuals systematically passing off coarse rice as fine rice.
Following the supply of high-quality rice, the government now intends to offer quality education and healthy food, Reddy stated.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar stated that with public health as the top priority, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's choice to create a dedicated system for food safety is genuinely commendable.
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Aligned with this vision, the Hyderabad Commissionerate has established the ‘H-FAST’ (Hyderabad - Food Adulteration Surveillance Team) team, which is taking strong action against adulteration networks, he stated.
Over the last month, 61 cases were recorded, 15 tonnes of contaminated products confiscated, and 64 suspects apprehended, according to the Commissioner.
Sajjanar in a post on ‘X’ said: “Food adulteration is not just a crime. It is a silent, deadly attack on every household. From the biscuits and ice creams we lovingly give our children to everyday essentials like ginger-garlic paste, tea powder, milk, and curd, adulterators are poisoning the very food we trust. The scale and brazenness of these acts are deeply alarming.” He further said there will be zero tolerance for those who gamble with innocent lives for profit.