Haryana Food and Supplies minister Karn Dev Kamboj on Tuesday said that action against the officials and the private firms involved in the supply of the substandard food items through the public distribution system (PDS), would be taken within a week.
The minister said that the inquiry on going on into the matter and the guilty persons whether they are government officials or the private firm management would be punished soon.
Additional Chief Secretary, Food and Supplies, SS Prasad said, "The file in this regard is already under the process. Action is delayed as we were on foreign tour. But action into the said matter would be taken within a week. Nobody involved in this, would be spared."
Earlier, The Statesman had reported about the substandard Dal was being distributed through PDS in Haryana. As per the documents accessed, showed that the state's Food and Supplies Department had got complaint regarding supply of rotten Chana Dal in many districts.
Following the complaint of rotten Chana Dal through PDS, in a communication, the Deputy Director (PDS), Haryana had asked the General Manager (B), Haryana State Federation of Consumers, Cooperative, Wholesale Stores Limited (CONFED) to withhold the payments of Delhi Ms RB Enterprises that takes care of PDS supplies in nearly nine districts.
Another paper revealed that samples of Chana Dal processed and packed by the RB Enterprises, taken from Ambala, were sent to Food Laboratory, Karnal were also found substandard.
The Food Laboratory found that the Dal sample has 20 per cent damaged grains against minimum specific limit of five per cent by weight as laid down for Chana Dal under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (Food Products Standards and Food Additives), Regulations 2011.
Following which a departmental inquiry was ordered into the matter, however, no action has been taken so far in this regard.