Telangana CM Orders Toll-Free Helpline and Stricter Laws to Combat Food Adulteration
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed officials to establish a toll-free helpline for reporting food adulteration and to draft strict laws to address the growing health concerns caused by adulterated food, excessive pesticide use, and counterfeit medicines. The directions were issued during a review meeting held in Hyderabad on Saturday.
The meeting focused on the adverse health impacts of adulteration in fruits, vegetables, milk, and other food products, as well as the excessive use of pesticides in cultivation. The Chief Minister highlighted the lack of proper systems to verify claims of organic products sold at higher prices in markets.
Revanth Reddy noted that the indiscriminate use of chemicals to increase the shelf life of green leafy vegetables and milk, and to speed up fruit ripening, has led to people falling sick. He also pointed out that other countries have rejected Indian agricultural products due to high chemical residues from fertilizers and pesticides.
To address these issues, officials have been instructed to visit countries with comprehensive food safety laws and study their practices. Based on this study, a representation will be prepared for drafting a Bill, which will be discussed in the state Assembly. Public suggestions will also be invited before the Bill is finalised.
As a first step, a pilot project will be implemented in the state's Core Urban Region (CURE) to prevent adulteration. After evaluating the results and correcting shortcomings, the initiative will be expanded to other parts of Telangana.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Director General of Police C.V. Anand, Advisor to the Chief Minister K. Ramakrishna Rao, Principal Secretaries V. Sheshadri and N. Sridhar, and other senior officials.
Earlier, Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha had directed officials to examine proposals to merge the Food Safety department and the Drugs Control Administration. The Telangana Food Safety department and the Hyderabad Police's Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) have been actively uncovering adulteration in various food products, with samples sent for testing.
