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The Union Meals Ministry’s resolution to briefly droop the rice fortification course of “till a simpler mechanism for delivering vitamins to beneficiaries is recognized” has been welcomed by activists who challenged the plan within the Supreme Courtroom, saying fortification will not be a scientific technique to management anemia.
The federal government on Friday (February 27, 2026) introduced that it has thought-about implementing rice fortification below Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and different welfare schemes. “Based mostly on this assessment, it has been determined to briefly droop the rice fortification course of below PMGKAY and associated schemes till a simpler mechanism for offering vitamins to the beneficiaries is recognized,” the meals ministry mentioned, citing a examine by IIT Kharagpur to evaluate the shelf lifetime of fortified rice grains (FRK) and fortified rice (FR) below sensible storage circumstances in various agro-climatic zones of the nation.
“The report concludes that components akin to moisture content material, storage circumstances, temperature, relative humidity, and packaging supplies have a decisive influence on the steadiness and shelf lifetime of FRK and FR. They’re prone to micronutrient depletion and shortened shelf life throughout long-term storage and routine dealing with. This depletion leads to a shorter than anticipated efficient shelf life, thereby limiting the meant dietary outcomes,” the discharge added.
The federal government maintained that the choice doesn’t contain any discount in foodgrain entitlements and doesn’t have an effect on operations below the general public distribution system, Built-in Youngster Improvement Providers (ICDS) or the mid-day meal scheme.
Social activist Kavitha Kuruganti welcomed the choice, saying rice fortification is an costly and ineffective intervention, unsafe and poisonous. “Whereas the federal government cites analysis to halt this large-scale fortification, we now have introduced mounting proof that not all anemia is said to iron deficiency and that fortification will not be an efficient answer. We’ve filed a public curiosity litigation petition within the Supreme Courtroom on this matter, however the authorities has to date did not justify its uncommon and inconsistent actions relating to authorized regulation of fortified meals,” she mentioned.
