|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
FSSAI initiates online licencing; Many states yet to start the process
|
|
Wednesday, 16 April, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Abhitash Singh, Mumbai
|
|
fiogf49gjkf0d After the fourth extension to the licencing and registration deadline, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) asked all the states in the country to initiate online licencing and registration, in order to reduce the inconvenience caused to food business operators (FBO).
Some states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Chandigarh and Punjab have already started the online registration and licencing of FBO and succeeded in issuing more licences and registered more FBO within a few months of its commencement than they did manually.
However, states like Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka and Jharkhand, and the Union Territory of Puducherry have not commenced online licencing and registration due to a combination of reasons, including the lack of manpower and inadequate infrastructure.
States on track
Tamil Nadu’s joint commissioner, food, said, “In Tamil Nadu, online registration and licencing of FBO started in June 2013. To date, our food safety officers (FSO) have issued licenses to 15,488 FBO and registered around 57,312 FBO.”
“We are also in the process of providing tablets to FSO, so that they can complete the work as fast as possible. They can expect to receive the tablets by the first week of May, and when they do, they can go to the FBO’s premises and register or issue licences to them, as the case may be on the spot,” he added.
K B Sankhe, joint commissioner, food, Maharashtra, said the western state was the leader in manual licencing and registration, and had also secured the top rank in online licencing and registration.
“We have issued licences to over 40,000 FBO across Maharashtra and registered around 80,000 FBO online. Our FSO are training the FBO about the importance of having licence/being registered. Awareness camps are being organised on a regular basis to educate the FBO about online registration and licencing. The daily monitoring of designated officers’ and FSOs’ targets is undertaken by the enforcement director and commissioner,” he added.
Hemant Rao, food safety commissioner, Uttar Pradesh Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), informed that online licencing and registration commenced in November 2013.
“To date, we have registered and issued licences to one lakh FBO. We are providing the FBO brochures containing information about the procedure to register/obtain licences online. The state food safety department relentlessly undertakes grassroot-level trips to uniformly implement the system across all the 72 districts in the state,” he added.
H G Koshia, food safety commissioner, Food and Drugs Controller Administration (FDCA), Gujarat, said, “Online registration and licencing is complicated for many FBO, but we have been organising awareness and seminar programmes for them on a regular basis to make them understand the process.”
“Therefore, FBO in Gujarat are now registering and obtaining licences online without any difficulty. To date, we have issued licences to about 25,000 FBOs and registered about 60,000 FBO online,” he added.
Anil Kumar, additional commissioner, food, Food and Drug Administration, Kerala, said, “In Kerala, the online licencing and registration process has been very smooth.”
“To date, we have issued licences to over 19,000 FBO and registered 59,600 FBO online,” he added.
Laggards
Ashish Kumar Singh, designated officer, Bihar Food and Drug Administration, said, “Due to the lack of manpower and infrastructure, we have not commenced online licencing and registration of FBO. We expected FSSAI’s support and guidance, but we have not got any support from them.”
L R Nampui, designated officer, Assam Food and Drug Administration, said, “We haven't started the online licencing and registration process due to inadequate infrastructure facilities. We are in the process of procuring computers and Internet connections, and have appointed 22 FSOs to help in the online process.”
“Of the 27 districts in the state, seven have been identified for the first phase of the online licencing and registration process, which would commence immediately. We are training the newly-appointed FSO. The online registration and licencing process would commence either on April 29, 2014 or in the first week of May,” he added.
Dr Vikas Patnaik, joint commissioner, food, Odisha Food and Drug Administration, said, “Odisha has not started online licencing and registration yet. But we are training the designated officers and FSO to issue licences and register the FBOs. We expect to start the online registration and licencing of FBO by May 20, 2014.”
Karthik A N, licencing officer, Puducherry Food and Drug Administration, informed, “Fifteen days ago, we commenced the clearance of our backlog. The online registration and licencing of FBO hasn’t commenced yet.”
“We have appointed data entry operators to prepare the list of FBO in the state. Once that is done, we would start the online registration and licencing of FBOs. We are completing the backlog under the guidance of the National Informatics Centre (NIC),” he added.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|