FSSAI to audit meat units, slaughter houses in 40 cities
New Delhi, Sep 11 : Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday said a third-party audit of meat units and municipal slaughter houses will be conducted in the coming three months in 40 cities besides mandatory food safety audit of the supply chain for e-commerce entities involved in retail meat business.
FSSAI has planned "Clean and Safe Meat" initiative with the objective to develop an ecosystem that will enable the availability of clean and safe meat and meat products to consumers, as per an official statement.
It held a meeting on Tuesday with various stakeholders, including Ministry of Food Processing Industry, to discuss all aspects that affect the quality and safety of meat and meat products either in direct or indirect way.
The meeting took up Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygienic practices (GHP) in slaughter and meat processing units, training of meat handlers and eligibility of food business operators handling meat and meat products for obtaining FSSAI licence.
It also looked at the role of animal feed in quality of meat and various existing and upcoming schemes for upgrading the meat industry, especially the unorganized sector, the statement noted.
It said it will explore the possibility of including the BIS certification of feed and formation of a steering group for "Clean & Safe Meat" that will have an overall responsibility for carrying out the activities in this campaign.
"This Campaign will be a part of Lauh Yatra movement, to clean the slaughter houses and meat markets. The stakeholders will be participating in Lauh Yatra covering 2,000 locations in 40 cities across the country," according to the the statement.
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Notices seeking CEC's removal refer to Rahul's dissent note, incidents of voter-list manipulation
New Delhi (PTI): Notices seeking a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar flag issues ranging from the appointment process to his public attack on Rahul Gandhi and instances of alleged manipulation of votes in recent elections, an opposition leader said on Monday.
The notices, submitted in both Houses of Parliament on Friday, seek a motion for Kumar's removal from the CEC's post, as opposition MPs have cried foul over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls and raised concerns over the alleged manipulation of voters' lists on multiple occasions.
The process to remove the CEC is similar to that for the removal of a Supreme Court or high court judge, meaning an impeachment can be effected only on the ground of "proven misbehaviour or incapacity".
According to the opposition leader, the around-10-page-long notices refer to a dissent note submitted by Gandhi in February 2025, when Kumar was picked for the post. Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, is a member of the panel that appoints the CEC, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
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In his dissent note, the LoP had said, "It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours."
The notices also mention the CEC's public ultimatum to Gandhi from a press conference in August 2025. Amid allegations of "vote theft" by the opposition, a combative Kumar had asked the LoP to either apologise or back his claims with a signed affidavit, as required under electoral rules.
The notices also refer to allegations of manipulations in the voters' list raised by opposition parties in Karnataka's Aland and Mahadevapura.
The notices have been signed by around 130 members in the Lok Sabha and 60 in the Rajya Sabha. The signatories include leaders of the INDIA bloc parties, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and some independent MPs.
According to sources, the notices list seven charges against Kumar, including "partisan and discriminatory conduct in office", "deliberate obstruction of investigation of electoral fraud" and "mass disenfranchisement".
The opposition parties have accused the CEC of aiding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on several occasions, especially with the SIR exercise, which they have alleged aims at helping the ruling party at the Centre.
If the motion is admitted in both Houses, a committee will be constituted jointly by the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman.
The committee will consist of the chief justice of India (CJI) or a Supreme Court judge, the chief justice of one of the 25 high courts and a "distinguished jurist".
The proceedings of the committee are like any court proceedings where witnesses and the accused are cross-examined.
The CEC, too, will get a chance to speak before the panel.
According to rules, once the committee submits its report, it will be tabled in the House and discussions will commence for impeachment.
A motion to remove a judge or, in this case, the CEC, will have to be passed by both Houses.
When the House discusses the motion, Kumar will have the right to defend himself standing at the entrance of the House chamber.
