The Congress on Thursday, May 25, slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government for distributing fortified rice to 80 crore people of the country without any proper research. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi in the wake of the government’s announcement on the distribution of fortified rice, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that the policies of the current dispensation were being made by consultants.
In the press meet, Pawan Khera asked, “Who drives the policy in the Narendra Modi government? If someone investigates then one would know how many consultants there are, and for whom they are lobbying.” Further taking a potshot at the government, he added, “The government first decided to damage the forces, then the farmers, and now they have decided to attack science.” Alleging that crores of people are being fed fortified rice without consulting scientists and finding out if it is safe or harmful, Pawan Khera said that 138 lakh tonnes of fortified rice has been distributed between 2018 and 2023.
Khera, who is also the chairman of the Congress media and publicity department, added, “Fortified rice is also harmful for people suffering from diseases that worsen with iron intake. People suffering from thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia, or are in the acute phase of tuberculosis are medically not given iron. These diseases are prevalent amongst the poor, who are the beneficiaries of fortified rice." He said that even the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India's premier medical research body, had serious doubts about the effectiveness of distributing fortified rice under the public distribution system (PDS).
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is supposed to be a regulator, and its mandate is not to promote the grand plans of private companies, Khera said. He added that the “grand plan” to roll out fortified rice and other food items (wheat, milk, oil etc) started with a conference in Cancun, Mexico, in 2016, where international non-profits attended a symposium on rice fortification organised by Netherlands-based company Royal DSM and some global non-governmental organisations (NGO). “Is it a coincidence that exactly one month after this conference, the FSSAI started this ‘resource hub’ for fortification awareness, even as there were hardly any studies supporting that claim to fight malnutrition?” he asked.
Khera alleged that now consultants were deciding on policy issues and not the IAS officers. He said the Royal DSM, which has put up a plant in India near Hyderabad, reached the government through consultants. “One of the associates of Royal DSM group is GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition), which has a history of championing corporate interests. In 2013, the World Health Organisation (WHO) refused to recognise GAIN as an NGO over a business alliance network of food companies the group had set up. Another tech-focused public health non-profit - PATH - which was funded by Royal DSM, helped FSSAI conceive its standards and even handouts for the fortification ‘resource hub’,” he said.
“Why did PM Modi not ascertain the outcome of independent research studies or globally acclaimed studies on fortification before rolling out a nationwide scheme targeting 80 crore of India’s poor? What was the hurry to risk the health and lives of 80 crore poor Indians? Does it not show the anti-poor mindset of the Modi government? What is the relationship between Royal DSM and the Modi government?” he asked.
“Why did Royal DSM’s regional vice-president Francois Scheffler express his sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister? Why did the Modi government's Food and Public Distribution Department, Ministry of Women and Child Development and the regulator FSSAI not listen to their own internal warnings, which were underlined repeatedly by experts and advisors? Why did they not listen to NITI Aayog members?” Khera further questioned.