Nearly 7,000 bags of Jharkhand salt, each containing 25 packets of salt of one kilogram weight and priced one rupee only, meant for priority household and beneficiaries of Antodaya Yojna are lying ‘expired’ in the open field near the office of Weight and Measures in Daltonganj, alleged civil society activist Kishore Kumar Pandey
The Jharkhand salt bags have come from Sree Ram Kem Food Private lTD, Bhuja, Gujarat. The bags show it was packed in November 2016 and categorically states that this salt should be consumed within one year from the date of packing, asserted Pandey.
The entire consignment of Jharkhand salt bags is of batch number 11 in Palamu, said Pandey. Sources also said the Jharkhand Government bought this salt for the State for the priority household and Antodaya families to secure them from deficiency of iron and iodine as cases of anemia among growing children and girls is on the upper side among them.
Pandey has raised a volley of questions in regard to such a huge quantity of Jharkhand salt going expired without being lifted by PDS dealers and sold to poor for whom it was meant for.
Pandey said the administration must explain as to under what circumstances these thousands of packets running into nearly 1.75 lakh have so expired without getting delivered for sale at PDS shops in PalamuIJ
Pandey said the storage of Jharkhand salt in open is also to be explained as keeping salt in open is both hazardous to health and causes damage to environment.
Secretary Food, PDS & Consumers Affairs department government of Jharkhand Amitabh Kaushal said, “I am told by my officials that there came a consignment of salt which on use made colour of the food prepared black and the consumers then began to refrain from buying it. I will further take report in this connection from the Palamu administration.”
Ameet Kumar DC Palamu on being approached said, “Our DSO Albert Beelung will be the right person to explain as to why these salt bags have so expired and are lying in open.” Sources said a raw content of fortified iron in Jharkhand salt perhaps made it colour changing of prepared food.
District supply officer Palamu Albert Beelung on being contacted said, “Consumers denied to accept this salt for changing the colour of prepared food black and hence it remained un utilized.”
But when reminded that this salt packets are now expired since their date of packing is November 2016 and was fit for consumption within one year that is October 2017 DSO conceded that salt packets are definitely expired and not fit for consumption .
DSO further faltered as to why these Jharkhand salt bags filled with salt packets were not returned to the Gujarat based firm. Beelung said payment for the consignment is done at State government level as district administration just reports about the arrival of the consignment.