Scheme on fortification of rice approved

A pilot project on the fortification of rice and its distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS) has been approved by the department of food and public distribution. Food fortification refers to the addition of micronutrients to processed foods.

The Centre has advised states and Union territories to distribute fortified wheat flour through PDS, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said in the Rajya Sabha.

The nutrient requirements and recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for all age groups of the population including children are set and revised periodically by the National Institute of Nutrition - Indian Council of Medical Research.

The WCD and HRD ministries have advised the use of double fortified salt (iron and iodine), wheat flour (with iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12) and edible oil with (vitamin A and D) under their schemes - Integrated Child Development Scheme and Mid-day Meal Scheme.

What is the purpose of fortification?

Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient - vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) - in a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health.

Wheat is an important cereal crop and together with maize and rice account for 94 per cent of total cereal consumption worldwide.

Fortification of industrially processed wheat flour, when appropriately implemented, is an effective, simple and inexpensive strategy for supplying vitamins and minerals to the diets of large segments of the world’s population.

Rice is cultivated in many parts of the world, as it grows in diverse climates. Industrial fortification of rice with vitamins and minerals has been practised for many years in several countries throughout the world, where rice is a staple consumed regularly in the preparation of many common local dishes.

Rice fortification has the potential to help aid vulnerable populations that are currently not reached by wheat or maize flour fortification programmes.

However, rice production is often done domestically or locally, which could make reaching all those in need with mass fortification programmes challenging.

Rice can be fortified by adding a micronutrient powder to the rice that adheres to the grains or spraying of the surface of ordinary rice grains in several layers with a vitamin and mineral mix to form a protective coating.

Rice can also be extruded and shaped into partially pre-cooked grain-like structures resembling rice grains, which can then be blended with natural polished rice.

Rice kernels can be fortified with several micronutrients, such as iron, folic acid and other B-complex vitamins, vitamin A and zinc.

Laws for food fortification

In order to promote fortification as a means to address micronutrient deficiencies, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has operationalised Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Food) Regulations, 2016, which includes provisions regarding standards for fortification of food articles namely wheat flour, rice, milk, edible oil and salt with vitamins and minerals.

At present, all the major oil producers in the country are voluntarily fortifying at least one brand in their product portfolios.

The draft Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Food) Regulations stipulate that the FSSAI may from time to time mandate fortification of any food article specified under the regulations on the directions of the Union government or on the recommendations of the states/UTs and in consultation with stakeholders.  

Under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, the sale of only iodised salt is permitted for direct human consumption. Further, Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 provide that vanaspati shall contain synthetic Vitamin A.

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Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue in Lahore Fort

A life-size sculpture of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled over Punjab for close to 40 years in the early 19th century, was unveiled at the historic Lahore Fort in Pakistan to mark his 180th death anniversary.

The sculpture was installed at the Sikh Gallery of the Mai Jindan Haveli during a special ceremony attended by senior Pakistani officials.

The haveli, named after Ranjit Singh’s youngest queen, houses a permanent exhibition of Sikh artefacts in the Sikh Gallery.

The statue was built and installed by the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) in collaboration with the UK-based Sikh Heritage Foundation, which funded the project.

It took eight months to complete the eight-feet tall statue of the Sikh ruler sitting on his favourite horse named Kahar Bahar. The horse was a gift from Dost Muhammad Khan, the founder of the Barazkai dynasty.

Who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh?

* Ranjit Singh was born on November 13, 1780 in Gujranwala, now in Pakistan.

* At that time, Punjab was ruled by powerful chieftains who had divided the territory into Misls.

* Ranjit Singh overthrew the warring Misls and established an undivided Sikh empire after he conquered Lahore in 1799. Lahore remained his capital until his death.

* Ranjit Singh turned the tide of invasion back into the homelands of the traditional conquerors of India, the Pashtuns (Afghans), and he thus became known as the Lion of the Punjab (Sher-e-Punjab).

* His general Hari Singh Nalwa built the Fort of Jamrud at the mouth of the Khyber Pass, the route foreign rulers took to invade India.

* At the time of his death, he was the only sovereign leader left in India, all others having come under the control of the East India Company in some way or the other.

* Ranjit Singh’s trans-regional empire spread over several states. His empire included the former Mughal provinces of Lahore and Multan besides part of Kabul and the entire Peshawar.

* The Sikhs take pride in him for he turned Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar into the Golden Temple by covering it with gold.

* He is also credited with funding Hazoor Sahib gurudwara at the final resting place of Guru Gobind Singh in Nanded, Maharashtra.

* His throne is displayed prominently at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.