Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy participating in a review meeting on the Telangana Food Adulteration and Drug Control Act (TGFADCA) at MCRHRD institute in Jubilee Hills on Saturday. (Photo: By Arrangement)
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy asked officials to formulate a strict law to curb the growing menace of the adulteration of food and counterfeit medicines. The Chief Minister expressed serious concern over increasing cases of people falling ill 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), Revanth Reddy noted 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.
Chemical residues found in crop produce due to the excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides could be one of the main reasons the foreign countries refused to import such products, he opined.
He noted that some products are being sold for high prices in the market under ‘organic’ label. There was no proper system in place to verify the authenticity of the claim.
The Chief Minister directed officials to visit the countries which brought into force strict and comprehensive laws to curb adulteration and study their practices and present a comprehensive report. A Bill would be passed after discussion in the Assembly and seeking people’s opinion.
CM Revanth Reddy directed officials to initially implement anti-adulteration measures in the Hyderaad Core Urban Region (CURE) 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 C.V. Anand, CM’s adviser 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 present.
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