Govt. moves to revamp the Food
Safety and Standards Authority of
India Synopsis.
The ministry of health and family
welfare has framed Food Safety and
Standards (Amendment) Bill 2020 and
introduced 70 amendments in the 2006
Act to revamp FSSAI functioning and its
jurisdiction.
The government has also proposed to
make the Act more stringent prescribing
enhanced penalties for violations,
including manufacture and sale of unsafe
food, adulteration of food causing death,
carrying out business without licence
and repeat offences. The amendments
propose enhancing maximum fine for
manufacturing and sale of unsafe food
from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. A new section
has been introduced to define penalty
for adulteration of food causing death
or grievous hurt. In case unsafe food
causes “harm to body which amounts
to causing grievous hurt even if it does
not cause actual injury”, the punishment
could extend upto life imprisonment.
The move comes six years after the
Modi government had withdrawn a
similar Bill introduced by Congressled UPA in Rajya Sabha in February
- The NDA government had
withdrawn it after a Cabinet decision in
December 2014 and decided to bring
a more comprehensive Bill to address
systemic issues and incorporate rulings
of Supreme Court and Lucknow bench
of Allahabad high court. The ministry of
health and family welfare would now
invite suggestions on the draft Bill.
The government has also proposed
to appoint a chief executive officer at
FSSAI as member secretary to oversee
functions.