MP to invoke NSA against milk adulterators: Health Minister

The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to impose the stringent National Security Act (NSA) on those adulterating milk and dairy products, state Health Minister Tulsiram Silavat said Monday.

He said 255 samples of milk, paneer (type of cheese), ghee (clarified butter) and mawa (thickened milk solid) were collected over the last two days after media reports on adulteration surfaced, adding that NSA would be invoked once lab reports come in.

"The government has decided to impose NSA against those producing and selling synthetic (adulterated) milk and allied products," Silavat told PTI in his chamber in the Vidhan Sabha.

The minister chaired a meeting of top officials of the state's Food and Drug Administration and directed them to act swiftly on the menace by collecting samples and getting them tested, and form teams to nab the perpetrators.

State Food and Drug Controller Ravindra Singh and Joint Controller DK Nagendra were among the officials who attended the meet.

A similar meeting will be held on Tuesday in Bhopal division, he added.

Silavat said samples were collected from licensed shops and also from Sanchi Dugdha Sangh and Sourabh Dairy, and added that an eight-member team is getting samples from dairies in Bhind and Morena areas, both areas infamous for milk and mawa adulteration.

He said three licences had been cancelled in Jabalpur area.

The minister is leaving for Gwalior-Chambal division on July 30 to review the situation in these two areas.

Acting on a tip-off, the MP police's Special Task Force (STF) raided factories in two districts of Chambal region two days ago and busted a racket in which toxic synthetic milk was being supplied to units in five states, including Delhi region, a senior official said.

Around 62 people were held during raids in factories in Ambah in Morena and Lahar in Bhind, part of the Gwalior- Chambal region, STF Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Bhadoriya told PTI Saturday.

Bhadoriya said their interrogation had revealed they were supplying adulterated milk and dairy products to branded outlets in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana besides Madhya Pradesh.