Existing law enough to punish guilty: Officials

JAIPUR: The Supreme Court's (SC) decision on life imprisonment for people indulging in production and marketing of adulterated milk may have been welcomed by the public, but Rajasthan, the second largest producer of milk in the country, seems unconcerned about framing stringent laws against it. Officials claim that the existing law has enough provisions to punish the guilty. 

The SC has asked all the states to amend their laws as it felt that punishment of six months behind bars under Food Safety Act is not adequate. The court also asked the states to present a report on what actions they are taking to eliminate the menace of adulterated milk. 

Rajasthan which contributes nearly 12.5% of the total milk production in the country is, however, pressing for the enforcement of existing law under Food and Safety Act. "There are clear guidelines for punishment up to one year and six years along with a heavy fine of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 6 lakh. There are also provisions for life imprisonment in case of someone dies due to adulteration. We will study the order and see what exactly has been asked," said BR Meena, food safety commissioner, Rajasthan. 

In a report submitted to the apex court in July, the Central government stated that 68.4% of the milk samples collected from rural and urban areas of all states failed to meet the norms of food safety and standards (FSS). It included both packaged and loose milk. Rajasthan's production of milk for the year 2013 is expected to be nearly 15 million tonne. The daily consumption of milk in the state stands at 20 lakh litre out of which branded milk is nearly 18 lakh litre and the rest is loose milk. 

Experts have already raised their concerns over the quality of milk in view of the statistics presented in the Supreme Court. "It is a situation of great worry. We have to be more cautious as our stakes are high in this sector," said Ajay Kumar Gehlot, vice-chancellor, Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. 

However, officials assert that fears are unwarranted. "Since August 2012 when law became effective, we have collected almost 8,000 samples, out which 60% are of milk. Not a single case of unsafe adulteration has been found. There are instances of mixing like addition of water in pure milk which make it substandard. It should also be dealt with strictly but unlike other states in Rajasthan we do not get milk mixed with urea," added Meena.