Parliamentary panels to tackle essential commodities, pharmaceuticals, sugar content in packaged foo
New Delhi: Two key Parliamentary Standing Committees, led by prominent opposition leaders, have outlined their agendas to address pressing national concerns, including the availability of essential commodities, foodgrain management, and the regulation of pharmaceuticals.
The Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, chaired by DMK leader Kanimozhi, will focus on ensuring the availability of essential commodities, particularly petroleum products. The panel will also address issues surrounding foodgrain storage, including strategies to prevent wastage in FCI godowns, and explore ways to optimize foodgrain transportation via railways while modernizing the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Additionally, the committee will examine the regulation of packed commodities, with specific attention to sugar content in baby and other food products. Ethanol and biofuel production from sugar, sugarcane, and grains will also be reviewed, along with safeguarding consumer rights in the banking sector. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the National Test House (NTH) will come under scrutiny to assess their roles in quality assurance and product testing.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers, chaired by Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad, will investigate the rising prices of medicines and India’s progress toward self-sufficiency in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). The panel will evaluate the performance of regulatory authorities to curb the circulation of fake and spurious medicines.
The committee will also explore efforts to reduce plastic usage by reviewing the setup of plastic waste management centres. Additionally, it will assess the disinvestment of public sector fertilizer companies and explore ways to enhance sustainability in the sector.
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We received request; will decide soon whether to support TVK: Thirumavalavan
Chennai (PTI): VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said that his party received a request from TVK for support and the high-level committee of his party will decide whether to support the Vijay-led party to form the government.
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly and emerged as the single largest party. Vijay will have to resign from one of the two constituencies he has won.
Though the Congress party, which has five MLAs, has extended support to TVK, the actor-politician-led party was still short of as many seats to touch the magic number of 118, the majority mark in the 234-member House.
"We received the request letter from TVK. We are thankful for that. We have not ignored his (Vijay's) request. We have a procedure. Therefore, our party's high-level committee will decide soon. We are going to discuss the merits and demerits of our position," the VCK leader told reporters here.
With regard to the delay in the governor's call to the TVK, which is the single largest party, to form the government, Thirumavalavan requested the governor to invite Vijay to form the government. "It is a constitutional right and people's verdict," he added.
Asserting that the governor cannot say that Vijay should hold 118 MLAs' support now itself to form the government, he said that after taking over power, Vijay has to prove an absolute majority only on the floor of the Assembly.
