Firdous Ahmad
Srinagar, Dec 19, KNT: Food Supplies Minister Satish Sharma on Friday said the government is taking concrete steps to curb food adulteration across Jammu and Kashmir and will act strictly once the final laboratory reports are received. Speaking to reporters, he said the administration has decided to equip every district with a mobile testing laboratory to speed up sampling and detection.
Sharma said the department is in the process of procuring twenty mobile labs that will be distributed across districts to ensure testing is carried out on the spot without delay. He said adulteration incidents have not been reported everywhere but in scattered locations, and the government is awaiting test confirmations before initiating strong action.
According to him, the issue reflects a deeper moral crisis. He said miscreants exist in every society, and some people have allowed greed to overpower humanity by risking lives for profit.
Sharma said working in the Union Territory remains challenging due to limited resources and unlimited public expectations, but the Omar Abdullah government is committed to fulfilling its promises. He said free ration and electricity supply commitments will be met and efforts are underway to strengthen public services.
He described Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as a fighter who works on hope and said Jammu and Kashmir requires liberal financial support from New Delhi, similar to what the region received during the tenure of Dr Manmohan Singh. Sharma said statehood restoration remains essential and the government continues to press for it at every level.
The minister also said winter preparedness has been completed and that all essential stocks have been dumped in advance across vulnerable areas to ensure uninterrupted supplies during harsh weather. [KNT]
