Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurates National Food Laboratory (NFL)
“We not only have to provide right food, but also ensure that there is strict implementation of laws and the compliance of standards to assure that citizens have safe and wholesome food,” said Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare at the inauguration of the first ever state-of-the-art National Food Laboratory-Delhi, NCR, established by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) at Ghaziabad. The Union Health Minister also laid the foundation stone of the FSSAI Tower along with the Minister of State (HFW), Ashwini Kumar Choubey. At the function, Dr Harsh Vardhan released a report “Food Laboratories in India: a Meta Study” and awarded Certificate of Recognition to 13 National Reference Laboratories.
Speaking at the inaugural event that also marked the 13th anniversary of the Food Authority since the Food Safety and Standards Act came into effect in 2006, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, health has become one of the top priorities of this government and it reflects that the Prime Minister is committed to fundamentally transforming the country and give quality health services to the people. “This could be gauged from the fact that there is now a network of food testing laboratories established in the country and recognized by FSSAI. Such laboratories have increased to 261 as of now from 138 during the year 2014,” he elaborated.
Dr Harsh Vardhan further mentioned that several pro-poor policies and schemes have been taken up and there are perceptible and measurable results in every sector. He said that Ayushman Bharat Yojana is benefitting millions since its launch last year, and with 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres coming up by the year 2022, quality healthcare will reach every doorstep in the country. Similarly, the government is expanding quality tertiary health care facilities in all parts of the country. With the announcement of new AIIMS, the total number of AIIMS will go up to 22, he said.
Dr Harsh Vardhan also commended FSSAI for taking the initiative to operationalise a system to approve the rapid kits and tests. This approval system, a first of its kind in terms of regulatory provisioning, would help hasten decision making by the regulatory officials and also provide quicker means to create information base on emerging risks as well as ground realities of safety issues.
On this occasion, Dr Harsh Vardhan also presented the State of Uttar Pradesh with two “Food Safety on Wheels (FSW) vans” to cater to the food testing requirements in Ghaziabad and Western UP. These mobile food-testing vans would be utilized for training and awareness-building activities as well. He stated that in near future 500 such food safety and testing vans shall be available to support the states in ensuring food safety.
Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS (HFW), congratulated FSSAI and stated that “This Public-Private-Partnership in the food testing ecosystem will synergize the efficiency of the private sector and the regulatory control of the Government in an efficient manner. I have full confidence in the success of this partnership and hope to see more such collaborations for other laboratories in the country.”
The National Food Laboratory (NFL), Delhi-NCR, is one of the two premier referral laboratories under the direct administrative control of FSSAI. Operationalized under a unique Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model, it also houses state-of-the-art collaborative training centres namely The Food Safety Solution Centre (FSSC) and Centre for Microbiological Analysis Training (C-MAT). FSSAI will also be establishing NFLs at Mumbai and Chennai in the near future along the same lines.
Also present at the event were, Ms. Rita Teotia, Chairperson (FSSAI), Shri Pawan Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer (FSSAI) along with over 200 stakeholders from the government, scientific community, food businesses and corporates and partners to mark this occasion.
MoUs signed for HIV and AIDS prevention
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare presided over the MoU signing ceremony between National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) under Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE). Ashwini Kumar Choubey Minister of State (HFW) and Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State (DoSJE) along with Ms. Preeti Sudan, Secretary (HFW) and Ms. Nilam Sawhney, Secretary (DoSJE) were also present at the MoU signing ceremony.
Emphasizing on the need for innovations and newer ideas and thoughts for taking forward the fight against HIV/AIDS, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that good quality knowledge and widespread awareness campaigns about the disease have immensely contributed to combatting it.
Appreciating NACO for its notable achievements, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that it is indeed commendable that NACO has worked with some of the most vulnerable people. It has played a very big role in significantly reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country, and that too faster than the global rates. He added that the impact of the programme has been significant with more than 80% decline in estimated new infections from peak of epidemic in 1995. He further said that the Government is fully committed for meeting all the set goals to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030.
Speaking on the key deliverables of the MoU, he stated that the MoU will help in developing human resources and build capacity in order to strengthen the service delivery mechanisms for HIV & AIDS prevention, drug addiction treatment and referral to services offered by National AIDS Control Programme and DoSJE. The Union Health Minister further said that it aims at reducing incidence of social stigma and discrimination against victims of drug abuse and Children and People Living with HIV/AIDS.
Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS (HFW) said that MOUs with other Ministries are low investment and high impact initiatives that help in leveraging each other’s strength. He emphasised on enhancing awareness of the target population.
Shri Rattan Lal Kataria, MoS (DoSJE) said that the MoU will help in reaching out to the marginalised groups and will provide opportunity for empowerment and access to social protection schemes by the high risk population, persons engaged in begging, People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), and Children affected by HIV & AIDS (CABA). The Minister also appreciated MoHFW for its initiatives.