Source:dnaindia.com
Flooded with complaints of packaged food, particularly milk being sold at higher than the printed price, the food and civil supplies department has set up a vigilance committee headed by the minister himself to probe the alleged irregularity.
The five-member committee set up at the state level last Thursday also comprises the department secretary and at least two residents selected by the government. The committee is expected to meet every month to review the situation, with minimum 50% of its members attending. On similar lines, a four-member committee has been set up at the municipal level for better implementation of the measures.
Department sources said one of the major reasons behind the problem is staff crunch. “It is not possible for one food inspector to physically check so many outlets and stalls. Therefore, to address the issue for now, the government will create awareness about the actual price of the products, which includes cost of transportation and freezing,” said a senior officer.
For the purpose of creating awareness on the subject, a government resolution released on Friday claims to circulate the contact details of all committee members so that consumers can lodge their complaints against any kind of illegal overcharging by vendors.
The committee has also been asked to closely study the entire process of packaged food leaving the source and reaching the destination. “It will fix the problem after studying it in detail and then discuss the outcome,” the officer added.
The resolution makes it mandatory for the committee to hold monthly review meetings from time to time. These meetings should at least have 50% attendance and should last for minimum one hour. The committee’s tenure has been fixed for three years.
The issue of disparity in milk prices was raised by leader of opposition in legislative council Dhananjay Munde during the budget session of the state legislature in March 2015.
Following the debate, in May 2015, the Maharashtra government had asked milk cooperative societies and distributors to slash prices by Rs2 to Rs5.
“I have directed the milk cooperative societies and distributors to slash the market price of milk by Rs2 to Rs5 as they have been earning more than double the procurement rates,” Khadse had then said. “These milk distributors have been procuring milk from farmers at Rs14-16, while their market ranges between Rs40 and Rs60.”
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