Judicious
The judges who are renowned for their judiciousness are now increasingly inclined towards a judgmental posture, while adjudicating the grievances of citizenry.
The Anti-Defection Bill has become a convenient conduit entry for political horse-trading. Parties might change, but the same politicians remain ensconced at the helm and the same political actors continue to dominate the political landscape.
‘’The electoral landscape has been systematically fractured along the fault lines of caste, religion, and class.’’
People spend crores upon crores on liquor consumption, and, on record, this has been higher than their expenditure on the purchase of jewellery and gold on a year-on-year basis.
Liquor Consumption and Food Adulteration
Though the raids are random, the food-safety inspections conducted across the country, to contend with the scourge of unsafe and contaminated food, at popular eating establishments and restaurants, have left many residents eating outside with growing unease and apprehension. The inspections cast a serious shadow over food hygiene, safety, and health standards, despite the repeated assurances held out by the authorities concerned.
Food inspectors are woefully inadequate in number, while inspections themselves remain limited and are often conducted in a perfunctory manner. The disquieting revelations concerning food contamination and food-safety violations have been widely acknowledged and reported by health experts, making them a serious cause for concern. Public anxiety has consequently grown, and the repercussions are being felt across the food industry.
It has been much the same case with liquor. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s food-safety regulator, has raised concerns regarding the use of certain additives in alcoholic products. There have been reports of certain whisky and rum products using additives to recreate taste and aroma instead of relying on natural ingredients and developing them through conventional processes. Products and brands cited in such discussions include Royal Challenge, Bagpiper whisky, and Old Cask Rum.
While food eateries and wine shops remain major attractions for a large section of people who enjoy their food and drinks in the outside world of their own, the larger question is one of public health. What is presented as pleasure, convenience, and consumer choice can, when regulatory safeguards are weak, become a grave health hazard, putting at risk the health, safety, and well-being of common people.
The Stark Dichotomy
The dichotomy is therefore stark. On the one hand, there are assurances of stringent food-safety and regulatory standards; on the other, there are inadequate inspections, limited enforcement, questionable practices, and recurring revelations that expose the vulnerability of the common consumer.
Food and liquor may be consumed as matters of individual choice, but the consequences of regulatory failure are borne collectively by society. The issue, therefore, is not merely what people eat or drink, but whether the State is adequately discharging its responsibility to protect the health, safety, and well-being of its citizens
M. Shiva Prasad, IPS (Rtd.) is a dedicated law enforcement professional who served the combined Andhra Pradesh cadre before opting for the Telangana cadre. Though a native of Andhra Pradesh, he considers himself a true Hyderabadi with an abiding love for the Telugu people. Driven by sincerity, fearlessness, and a lifelong fight against inequality and injustice, his ultimate strengths remain his goodwill and deep affection for the public and the police force. Today, he continues his mission by writing snippets and articles true to his conscience.
Email: Shivareach@yahoo.com
Mobile: 98480 38774
