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Uttarakhand bans gutka and pan masala for one year
Why in News?
Which law lets a State ban gutka for one year? The FSS Act, 2006 power Prelims tests
Uttarakhand's Food Safety department has prohibited the sale of gutka and pan masala in the State for one year. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, a State's Commissioner of Food Safety can prohibit a food item in the public interest for up to one year.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 min read
Uttarakhand's Food Safety department has prohibited the sale of gutka and pan masala in the State for one year.
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, a State's Commissioner of Food Safety can prohibit a food item in the public interest for up to one year.
Sources: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
Key facts
Remember these
- Uttarakhand's Food Safety department has banned the sale of gutka and pan masala in the State for one year.
- The ban rests on the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act).
- A State's Commissioner of Food Safety can prohibit a food item in the public interest for up to one year.
- The FSS Act, 2006 is administered by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Union Health Ministry.
- Health is a State subject entry in the Constitution's Seventh Schedule, so States can act through their own food safety machinery.
Prelims · Mains
How the exam will ask it
Prelims
- The Commissioner of Food Safety of a State may prohibit the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of a food item in the public interest for a period of up to one year.
- The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 consolidated earlier food laws such as the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
- The FSSAI, the central regulator under the FSS Act, is a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Mains
GS-II (Health, regulation) and GS-II (federalism). Tobacco-linked chewables cause a heavy oral cancer burden, and the FSS Act lets a State Commissioner impose time-limited bans, which many States renew each year. Such yearly bans face enforcement gaps and the shift to substitutes, so the way forward is stronger inspections, a coordinated inter-State approach, and awareness and cessation support.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, a State's Commissioner of Food Safety may prohibit a food item in the public interest for a period not exceeding:
- Three months
- Six months
- One year
- Two years
Show answer
Answer: C — One year is correct. One year is correct. The Act allows the Commissioner of Food Safety to impose such a prohibition for up to one year in the interest of public health.
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