Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has topped the national food safety index, a first for the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday (June 7). CM Vijayan said that the “historic achievement” by the state was thanks to the various initiatives such as the food safety grama panchayat scheme implemented in 140 panchayats and the Safe and Nutritious Food at School project carried out in 500 schools.
Besides that, thousands of food safety awareness classes were also held at the state level for the general public and that too was a reason behind the achievement, he said in a Facebook post.
Dr. @mansukhmandviya and Hon'ble Union Health MoS Prof. @spsinghbaghelpr unveiled the 5th State Food Safety Index -2023 (SFSI) by FSSAI. The winners in the Large State category were Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/9iaV0ereQQ
— FSSAI (@fssaiindia) June 7, 2023
Also Read: Indian Government Strides Towards Food Security And Benefitting Farmers
He also tweeted about the achievement.
Proud moment as #Kerala tops the State Food Safety Index 2023 in the large state category by FSSAI India! It comes as a deserving recognition of GoK’s committed efforts in the sector, including the exemplary implementation of Safe and Nutritious Food at School, he said in the tweet.
Proud moment as #Kerala tops the State Food Safety Index 2023 in the large state category by @fssaiindia! It comes as a deserving recognition of GoK's committed efforts in the sector, including the exemplary implementation of Safe and Nutritious Food at School.
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) June 7, 2023
State Health Minister Veena George said the state not only achieved the top spot in the food safety index, but its food safety department also doubled its revenue in 2022-23 compared to the 2021-22 financial year.
The revenue of Rs 28.94 crore generated by the department in 2022-23 was 193 per cent more than that of 2021-22, the minister said in a statement.
The award with a trophy and plaque was presented by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya and was accepted on behalf of Kerala by Food Safety Commissioner V R Vinod, the statement said.
Also Read: Assam Government To Provide National Food Security Act Card To 40 Lakh Beneficiaries In July
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
