PUNE: From staff crunch to ill-equipped laboratories, state food and drug minister Girish Bapat on Thursday reviewed Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) long-pending issues and promised that the state government will ensure their speedy resolution. The minister also asked FDA officials to work towards building the department's image.
"The state FDA currently has a 30% staff crunch. Besides, the department needs good office spaces, independent vehicles for officials, godowns for storing seized goods and well-equipped laboratories for precise and fast results of food samples drawn during surveillance. State FDA minister Girish Bapat promised us speedy resolution of all these issues and asked officials to work hard to further enhance FDA's image," said state FDA commissioner Purushottam Bhapkar. Replacing the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 and other seven rules/orders, the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations 2011 came into force across the country from August 5, 2011.
"Be it filling posts or bracing up our laboratories, we need to strengthen the department in all respects. That was the main topic of the minister's meeting. He promised that all of them will be considered and speedily resolved," Bhapkar said
Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), Pune division said, "Currently, we have to store the seized gutka in our cabins and office premises. This is inconvenient to us as well people who visit us for official work."
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the state government's prime organisation for consumer protection. The foremost duties of FDA is to ensure food is safe and prepared in hygienic condition, drugs and medical devices used for both humans as well as animals are safe and effective.
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