Haryana govt to distribute mustard through PDS

The Haryana government has decided to distribute fortified mustard oil through public distribution system (PDS) at the rate of two litres per month per family from September 1, 2018.

To begin with, Ambala and Karnal district will be covered under this scheme, an official spokesperson said here today.

Besides, it will be ensured that the only fortified edible oil is available in the open market through HAFED from November 2018 onward, he said.

The state government has started a pilot project for distribution of fortified wheat flour under PDS in two blocks of Ambala district in March 2017 and also under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in June 2017, the spokesperson added.

Encouraged by its success, we have decided to scale it up to two districts namely Ambala and Karnal from September 2018, both under PDS and ICDS, he said.

The scheme will be expanded to the entire state by December this year.

Milk fortification with Vitamin A and D2 was started in all six milk plants in the state in 2016, the official noted.

The fortification is being done as per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) standards and the state has recently been accredited with the F+ logo for it, the spokesperson said.

The ICDS of the state government started fortification of Panjeeri (Iron, Vitamin B12 and folic acid) in Karnal district in 2016, he added.

Fortified edible oil (Cotton-seed and Soybean) is being used in five districts under ICDS namely Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Karnal and Gurugram, he said.

This will be extended to all remaining districts by September, 2018, the spokesperson added.