LAHORE (The Thursday Times) — Punjab hukoomat ne ek qanoon ka masauda tayyar kiya hai jis ke tehat aate, ghee, cooking oil aur namak mein izafi ghizai ajza shamil karna lazmi hoga, taake chhote bachchon mein nashonuma rukne (stunting) aur khawateen mein ghizai kami ko kam kiya ja sake.
Punjab Food Fortification Bill 2026 ka masauda Jumme ko soobai wazir baraye food safety o consumer protection Salma Butt ki zer-e-sadarat ijlas mein zer-e-ghaur aaya. Unhon ne bataya ke yeh wazir-e-ala Maryam Nawaz ki hidayat par tayyar kiya gaya hai aur manzoori ke liye bheja ja raha hai.
Salma Butt ne kaha ke Punjab mein paanch saal se kam umar ke 27.3 feesad bachche stunting ka shikar hain. Un ka kehna tha ke yeh sharah 2017 mein 31.5 feesad thi aur ab kam hui hai, lekin 15 se 49 saal ki khawateen mein iron aur zinc ki kami tashweeshnak had tak pohanch gayi hai, isi liye hukoomat chahti hai ke yeh shart qanoon ka hissa bane.
Qaid aur jurmane
Masaude ke mutabiq jo manufacturers Punjab Food Authority Act ke tehat registration nahin karayenge, unhein teen maah tak qaid aur 10 lakh rupay tak jurmane ka saamna hoga.
Wazir ne kaha ke food safety afsaran ke kaam mein rukawat dalne ya fortification ki sharait poori na karne par chhe maah tak qaid aur 20 lakh rupay tak jurmana ho sakta hai.
Tamam manufacturers aur importers ke liye rozana androoni jaanch, fauri testing aur quality assurance lazmi hogi. Khorak mein milaye jane wale micronutrient premixes ki laboratory testing aur paidawar ki jaanch bhi hogi taake yaqeeni banaya ja sake ke woh muqarrara miyar par poore utarte hain.
Salma Butt ne kaha ke bill ke tehat karobari idaron ki yeh qanooni zimmedari bhi hogi ke woh food safety afsaran se taawun karein aur unhein durust maloomat faraham karein.
Ijlas mein Secretary Food Safety Dr Kiran Khurshid, Director General Food Safety Anwar Jappa, Punjab Food Authority ke Director General Raja Mansoor aur deegar afsaran ne shirkat ki.
Fortification kya hai
Fortification mein bunyadi ghizaon ki tayyari ke dauran un mein iron, zinc, folic acid aur vitamin A jaise vitamins aur maadniyat shamil kiye jate hain, taake logon ko apni khorak badle baghair yeh ajza mil sakein. Iodine mila namak bhi isi usool par kaam karta hai.
Stunting, yani bachche ka qad us ki umar ke lihaz se kam reh jana, taweel arse tak nakafi ghizaiyat ki alamat hai, aur ise aage chal kar kamzor sehat aur seekhne mein mushkilat se joda jata hai.
Punjab mein roti se naan tak zyada tar khanon ki bunyad aata hai, is liye yeh gharon tak ghizai ajza pohanchane ka sab se barah-e-raast zariya hai. Is saal aate ki qeemat musalsal tashweesh ka baais rahi hai, kyunke gandum ki dar-amad ke baad bhi roti mehngi hi rahi.
Masaude ko Punjab Assembly mein pesh kiye jane se pehle abhi manzoori darkaar hai.
