செவ்வாய்பேட்டைக்கு வெல்லம் வரத்து பாதிப்பு தட்டுப்பாடு ஏற்படும் அபாயம்

சேலம், அக்.31:
சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்ல மண்டிக்கு வெல்லம் வரத்து குறைந்துள்ளதாக வியாபாரிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் ஓமலூர், தேக்கம்பட்டி, வட்டக்காடு, கருப்பூர், மூங்கில்பாடி, காமலாபுரம், தின்னப்பட்டி, தீவட்டிப்பட்டி உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யப்படுகிறது. இந்த பகுதியில் உற்பத்தி செய்யப்படும் வெல்லத்தை விவசாயிகள் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்ல மண்டிக்கு ஏலத்திற்கு கொண்டு வருகின்றனர். இங்கு வரும் வெல்லத்தை வியாபாரிகள் ஏலம் எடுக்கின்றனர்.
இந்நிலையில், கடந்த செப்டம்பர் முதல் வாரத்தில் சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யும் ஆலைக்கு சென்று ஆய்வு செய்தனர். அப்போது வெல்லம் தயாரிப்பில் கலப்படம் செய்து இருப்பது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. இதனால் சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் பல ஆலைகள் இயங்காததால், வெல்லம் வரத்து குறைந்துள்ளதாக வியாபாரிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
இது குறித்து சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்லம் வியாபாரிகள் கூறியதாவது:
சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டையில் தினசரி காலையில் நடக்கும் வெல்ல ஏல மண்டியில் 120 முதல் 150 டன் வெல்லம் விற்பனை நடக்கும். கடந்த செப்டம்பரில் சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள், வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யும் ஆலைகளில் ஆய்வு நடத்தினர். இந்த ஆய்வின்போது வெல்லத்தில் கலப்படம் இருப்பது தெரியவந்தது. உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரியின் கெடுபிடியால், சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யும் ஆலைகள் பல இயங்கவில்லை. வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி குறைந்ததால், சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்லம் மண்டிக்கு வெல்லம் வரத்து பாதித்துள்ளது.
தற்போது 30 முதல் 40 டன் வெல்லம் மட்டுமே வருகிறது. இவைகளும் வந்தவுடன் விற்பனைக்கு சென்றுவிடுகிறது. பல மளிகைக்கடைகளில் வெல்லம் விற்பனைக்கு இல்லை. வரத்து குறைந்ததால் வெல்லத்திற்கு தட்டுப்பாடு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. நேற்று நிலவரப்படி 31 கிலோ கொண்ட சிப்பம் முதல் ரக வெல்லம் ரூ.1000 முதல் ரூ.1200 எனவும், இரண்டாம் ரகம் ரூ.850 முதல் ரூ.1000 என விற்பனை செய்யப்படுகிறது. இவ்வாறு வெல்லம் வியாபாரிகள் கூறினர்.

Canteen sealed

The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department on Wednesday sealed a private canteen at the premises of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
“We received a complaint from a medical student who suffered food poisoning. On inspection, officials found the kitchen in an unhygienic condition,” said an official. An improvement had been issued last week.

No view taken on IIT non-veg food issue: Govt.

A HRD Ministry source said: "... no such direction can be given as this is an administrative matter to be decided by respective IITs which are autonomous."
The Ministry of Human Resource Development wrote to directors of all the16 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) on Thursday saying that no view has been taken on segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian messes.
The Hindu had reported on Thursday that the Ministry had forwarded a letter of a Madhya Pradesh based grain-trader to IITs on October 15. The letter from one SSK Jain of Katni, who described himself as a ‘swayamsevak’ and BJP supporter, and others demanded the segregation of vegetarian messes as students are influenced by Western culture through non-vegetarian food.
The Ministry’s covering letter had asked IITs to inform the Ministry of action they may take in this regard. Non-vegetarian food has been stopped in IIT Delhi this year and IIT Madras has a separate vegetarian mess for the last couple of years.
In the letter on Thursday, Under-Secretary AK Singh of Technical Section-I wrote, “… the representations were forwarded to the Institutes in routine manner, without any view having being taken thereon.”(sic)
A Ministry source said, “Jain's letter along with a score others on same issue were sent to the IITs as a routine matter. In RTI age, this is done routinely. Add to this the pressure of Modi's MyGov portal inviting ideas. Further, no such direction can be given as this is an administrative matter to be decided by respective IITs which are autonomous.”

Ban on non-veg food: Will govt force IIT to act?

According to a report in the Hindu, the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development has asked all 16 Indian Institutes of Technology in the country to "take action" on a request by an RSS member for separate dining halls for vegetarians.
The request, made by one S.K Jain of Madhya Pradesh, is based on the belief that the consumption on non-vegetarian food is a bad culture of the West.
The letter, which the Hindu says it has a copy of, claims that "children who have started practicing non vegetarianism have saddened their parents by their ‘tamsic’ behaviour. It is the call of the parents of India that IITs and other institutions segregate their dining halls for vegetarians."
Mr Jain, who has no connection to any IIT in any capacity whatsoever, told The Telegraph the UPA government had earlier rejected his appeal saying the IITs were not meant to promote religious ideologies.
But the Modi sarkar appears to be more receptive to this demand. In his cover letter to the IITs, HRD ministry A.K Singh said "Please take the trouble to inform the ministry about whatever actions you take,".
Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Jain claimed "Non-vegetarian food is not part of Indian culture. It affects our value system and enhances aggression. The crime rate is increasing because of such tamasic food."
Tamasic food are the list of items that Hindus are not supposed to eat – including things like onions and garlic.
In his interview with the Hindu, Mr Jain said "We see many families which are all mixed up. There are Sindhi fathers and Punjabi mothers in the same family and their children get married to Muslims. It all starts when you mix up food. Wrong food spoils one's mind. That’s why I made this request as I am a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and a supporter of the BJP. I knew that this government would understand,"
While the idea to have separate dining halls for vegetarians is rational, and many IITs already provide this facility, it is strange that the Union Ministry would base its action request on Mr Jain's request, with its calls to end ‘anti-Indian’ behaviour.
The HRD Minister - Smriti Irani, is yet to comment on the letter.
The students of the IITs have not been consulted over this move. In any case, a large percentage of them invariably end up leaving the country for the West where vegetarian food of any kind, let alone separated from meats like beef and pork, is a rarity.
In a strange twist, though the Hindu broke the story, the banning of non-veg food in canteens based on religious beliefs is nothing new to the Hindu newspaper.
As per this notice from the Hindu's Human Resource Department, the bringing and eating of non-veg food is banned in the Hindu's canteen.

Trade group seeks to reinvigorate US-India agri partnership

Thursday 30th October, 2014
A leading US-India trade group has suggested how India could enhance food safety, foster innovation, boost the competitiveness of local industry, and increase the speed of introducing new products to market.
The suggestions were discussed during the US-India Business Council (USIBC)'s just concluded first Food and Agriculture Executive Mission to India since 2011, according to the group comprised of 310 of the top-tier US and Indian companies.
The three-day mission entitled Reinvigorating the US-India Agricultural Partnership, "was an important milestone in efforts to "advocate for policies and regulations that improve agricultural productivity, enhance food safety, and ensure food security in India," it said.
In meetings with US and Indian officials, USIBC members also discussed ways to partner with the Indian government to advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" initiative, which calls for greater foreign investment in production and manufacturing in India, the group said.
"Our meetings this week were open, frank, and extraordinarily encouraging" said DuPont Pioneer President and Mission Co-Lead Paul Schickler.
"The officials we met with at all levels in the Indian Government were interested in gaining a better understanding of how they can partner with industry to generate greater investment at every level of the farm-to-fork food chain," he said.
"There is a real sense in New Delhi that the government is serious about the reforms that we have all heard so much about," Schickler added.
During the trip, USIBC members were able to strengthen ties with government and corporate leaders and reinforce the US industry's position as a collaborator with shared interests in advancing India's agriculture economy and food industry, the group said.
Siraj Chaudhry, chairman of Cargill Foods India and mission Co-Lead said the group has already outlined "several areas for collaboration between the US and Indian private and public sectors that will build capacity and enhance private sector engagement in policy and regulatory decision-making."