FDA seals factory making nutritious food for kids, pregnant women

BHANDARA: Personnel from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) raided a unit manufacturing nutritious and high-protein food meant for kids and pregnant mothers under the Take Home Ration (THR) scheme of the state government last week. It was found that substandard raw material was being used, the premises were unhygienic and the unit was not licensed by the FDA. The factory was run by a local trader in the name of a women's self help group.

The FDA sealed the factory unit, collected samples of raw material and sent them to the government laboratory at Nagpur for investigation. Offences will be registered under the FDA Act after receiving the reports.

The THR scheme is meant for children of 6 months to 3 years, 3-6 years and pregnant and feeding mothers of rural areas. Nutritious and rich protein food is given to beneficiaries at their homes by anganwadi employees. The rules require that THR should be prepared by women self help groups, on separate premises for manufacturing unit. The state pays Rs5.92 to 8.92 and Rs4.92 to 6.92 per beneficiary per day according to the category.

The scheme is supervised by a special monitoring committee headed by district collector and deputy CEO of woman and child welfare department is member secretary. The committee has to select SHGs to prepare THR.

Sources said that Jhansi Rani SHG of village Jamb, Mahila Sahakari SHG of Ganeshpur, Sarswat Woman SHG of Paoni and Ujval Woman SHG of Hardoli were given contract of preparing THR. Production and distribution of THR had begun after the committee visited the factory and found THR recipe as per norms and quality. Every thing was going on very smoothly, with bills being paid regularly to the SHGs, including Rs4.92 crore paid in the present fiscal till now.

When FDA personnel raided the factory at MIDC Gadegaon, most employees and the manufacturer fled away. A search revealed not a single woman member of SHG was present. The supervisor of the factory said the factory is owned and run by his employer Kamalkishor and his son Rakesh Lahoti.

The officials found that raw material like wheat, chana, jaggery, soya cake and groundnuts were substandard and unfit for human consumption. The premises were also very unhygienic at the unlicensed factory and there were gross violations of Food Safety and Services Act. Officials sealed bags of raw material amounting to Rs6 lakh and the factory itself. Samples were taken and sent to the laboratory at Nagpur. A report will be available within 15 days. Offences will be registered and criminal action will be taken against the SHGs after the reports are received.

It is surprising that almost all laws were violated at this factory for so long despite the FDA officer himself being member of the committee.