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COLUMN

Milking the masses cording to Commissioner, Food and

Drug Administration, and Director of
through adulteration Tandrust Punjab Mission, Kahan Singh
Pannu, said the campaign was timely
because nothing was more important
that the health of citizens. After all
Punjab people are known to be robust,
NEWS & The Centre should amend the IPC to punish the offence of milk full of zest and they feel proud telling
adulteration with life imprisonment as 60 per cent milk product
VIEWS samples fail quality control tests that there day is not complete with-
out a big serving of “desi ghee”, milk,
BHARAT HITESHI paneer, butter and butter milk.
Its staple diet includes “saag and
he reports that whopping Amendments makhan” served with lassi (butter milk)
Hiteshi is an 55-60 per cent of milk, The apex court had observed that “since or butter chicken.
independent journalist- cheese and other milk in India traditionally infants/children A joint team of the health depart-
turned-author and a product samples in Punjab are fed milk, adulteration of milk and ment and police have reportedly
political commentator. had failed the quality its products is a concern and stringent unearthed a factory involved in the
The views expressed T control tests and found to measures need to be taken to combat it. manufacturing of spurious milk and
are his own be unfit for human consumption has The consumption of adulterated milk other dairy items at Mehon village near
come as a shock. Way back in August and adulterated milk products is hazard- Devigarh town, 35km from Patiala.
2016, the Supreme Court had suggested ous to human health… it will be in order The team seized 7,000 litre spurious
life imprisonment for the offence of that the Union of India come up with milk, 323 bags (50kg each) of skimmed
milk adulteration and urged the central suitable amendments in the Food Safety powered milk, 250 litres of chemical • White revelation Punjab leads in per capita the week.
government to amend the Indian Penal and Standards Act, 2006 and the Union used in making adulterated milk, 20 milk availability
Code to make the punishment deterrent of India shall also make penal provisions quintal cheese and 12 quintal ghee Zero tolerance
for offenders. on par with the provisions contained in from the factory. The health depart- a case under Sections 420 (cheating), Acting tough against spurious milk
Had an amendment been brought the State amendments”. ment had earlier collected samples 472 (making of counterfeit seal), 473 and milk products, Commissioner
out in the Indian Penal Code and the Though the Health and Family Minis- of milk and cheese from the same (possessing counterfeit seal) and 474 Food and Drug Administration Punjab,
Food Safety and Standards Act, perhaps ter of Punjab Brahm Mohindra has asked factory recently too. The factory owner, (forged documents) of the Indian KS Pannu has constituted 22 teams to
violation of such a magnitude would the District Health Officers and Assistant Anil Kumar Singla, was arrested and Penal Code (IPC) at the Julkan polce raid dairy establishments across the
not have taken place. Sadly, as many as Food Commissioners to take stern action station. State to check the prevailing malprac-
434 of the total of 724 samples had failed against those violating the Food Safety These products were supplied tices in quality of food. Pannu said
the quality test in Punjab. That shows and Standards Act, 2006, it would be of to some high-end restaurants and the State has adopted zero tolerance
that the violators cared a fig for the little help as punishment of few months How to check sweet shops. Dairy farmers from policy with regards to food adultera-
existing legislation that can impose and fine may not prove to be deterrent. milk adulteration? nearby villages had recently met the tion, under Tandarust Punjab Mission.
only a maximum punishment of six As per the current legislation any person authorities and informed about the He warned those indulging in food
months. A bench of the then Chief indulging in food adulteration is liable malpractices in the factory. In a press adulteration to immediately stop
Justice of India T S Thakur and Justice for imprisonment of six months and fine State-owned dairy cooperative, release, commissioner (food and drug such activities otherwise department
R Banumathi had maintained that it up to 10 lakh. Milkfed that sells milk and milk administration) KS Pannu said in a will leave no stone unturned to crush
was high time that the Centre revisit Tested at the government laboratory products under the brand name similar raid a team of health depart- such practices. Pannu has warned
the IPC as well as the Food Safety and Kharar near Chandigarh, majority of the “Verka”, has obtained strip-based ment, dairy development department shopkeepers selling material which is
Standards Act to make sure stringent food samples seized have been found to technology developed by the and police raided Vishnu Milk Centre, used for preparation of spurious and
penalties are provided under the law. contain spurious or adulterated milk. It National Diary Research Institute Baghapurana, in Moga district and adulterated milk and milk products to
The unearthing It preferred the amendments made to is shocking for Punjab that went in big (NDRI) for rapid detection of adul- seized 1 quintal skimmed milk powder, immediately close down such shops
of large number Section 272 (adulteration of food and for a “White Revolution” after the much teration in milk. The technology 15 kg detergent powder, 28 quintal failing which they will face dire con-
spurious desi ghee, 300 litre suspicious
toutyed “Green Revolution”. Punjab
will help in detecting adulterants,
sequences. A day before, he also asked
drinks) in the IPC providing life term as
of adulterated the maximum punishment for adul- today leads in per capita milk availability such as sucrose, glucose, hydrogen curd, 300 kg paneer. A team conducted officers of the department to work
samples is the teration. The bench had also recalled — 1,035 ml of milk per person per day. peroxide, neutralizer, detergents, raid at a dairy farm at Harkishanpura hard and fearlessly to curb the menace
its order in December 2013 and again
of food adulteration in Punjab. He has
malto dextrine and urea in milk.
village in Bhawanigarh area of Sangrur
outcome of the in December 2014 whereby the central Healthy Punjab According to Manjit Singh Brar, and collected samples of spurious also appealed to the public to assist the
special campaign government was nudged by it to bring The unearthing of such a large number Managing Director, Milkfed, Pun- milk and milk products. About 1,000 Government in stopping adulteration
of adulterated samples is the outcome
jab, these strips would be made
by bringing every case of adulteration
suitable amendments in the IPC to pro-
surprise checks were conducted at
‘Tandrust’ or vide for maximum punishment on par of the special campaign “Tandrust” or available at grass roots to check chilling centres, creameries and milk to the notice of the Government.
establishments in remote areas and
Healthy Punjab launched by the Capt
with states like Uttar Pradesh, Odisha
the milk adulteration.
Healthy Punjab and West Bengal. Amarinder Singh Government. Ac- tankers were intercepted earlier in LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM
TEHELKA / 15 SEPTEMBER 2018 36 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 15 SEPTEMBER 2018 37 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
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