CAG RAPS FSSAI OVER LICENCING PROCESS

Government auditor CAG has pulled up food regulator FSSAI for issuing licences to food business operators without complete documents, and questioned it on the quality of testing with 65 of 72 state labs not being NABL accredited.

The FSSAI also failed to ensure that unsafe foods are not imported to the country, said the CAG in its performance audit report on Implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The CAG said its audit found “systemic inefficiencies, delays and deficiencies in the framing of various regulations and standards, amendments to regulations in violation of the Act and the specific direction of the Supreme Court”. The CAG said it found that “licenses were issued on the basis of incomplete documents in more than 50 per cent of cases, test checked in Audit”. A test check by audit of 5 state licensing authorities and 3 central licensing authorities found that in 3,119 out of 5,915 test checked cases licensed had been issued to FBOs (food business operators). Budget-making process The CAG has also flagged several “deficiencies” in financial management, planning and implementation of the government’s Namami Gange Programme during the past three years. The performance audit by the apex auditor has revealed “underutilisation” of funds and “delays” in project approvals and in achieving targets under the programme between 2014-15 and 2016-17.