Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 30: The Health and Medical Education Department through the Drug and Food Control Organization, today launched an online system for issuing licenses and registration certificates to food business operators throughout the State.
Parvez Dewan, Advisor to Governor formally launched the system, in the presence of Dr. M. K. Bhandari, Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department (Commissioner Food Safety, J&K).
Speaking on the occasion, Parvez Dewan stressed on the need for ensuring that the check of interest of health of the consumers, registration and licensing of operators dealing with food items must be undertaken, alongside strengthening the system for better monitoring and testing. He also noted that consumers must be made sufficiently aware about consuming healthy, safe and wholesome food.
Dr. Bhandari informed that it is for the first time that such an online system of registration and licensing of food business operators has been introduced in the State, which will benefit more than one lakh food business operators including hotels, restaurants, manufacturers, food vendors, hawkers among others.
The Department has worked out a detailed mechanism in consultation with Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, National Institute of Smart Governance, Department of Information Technology, J&K for ensuring that the system is available as a convenient model registration to all the Food Business Operators.
It shall require the applicant to simply approach the Common Service Centres (KHIDMAT Centres) and submit the details to the CSCs, based on which, the application would be uploaded on payment of nominal prescribed fee and within a stipulated time, the applicant would get a response through SMS alert as well as through email as to the certificate/license having been issued. The same can be secured by the applicant at his discretion from the CSCs or otherwise.
Shridhar, General Manager, NISG Hyderabad informed that J&K is the first State in the country to put into place the online registration system based on Common Service Centres. This will surely ensure that the vendors do not find difficulty in approaching the District Officers for securing their certificates/licenses, which was hitherto the case.
The system would, inter alia, eliminate inconsistencies, improved transparency and accountability, help in better managing the time lines, ensure streamline reporting and capturing of data base. It may be recalled that the Department had stopped manual registration/licensing since 1st March, 2016.
Lotika Khajuria, Controller, Drug and Food Control Organization, J&K, Director Health Services, Jammu, Director, Family Welfare, J&K, Project Director, AIDS Control Society, J&K, Managing Director, JKMSCL, MD National Health Mission, J&K and other officers of the Department, Drug and Food Control Organization and Department of Information Technology. Rakesh Gupta, President, Chamber of Commerce, Jammu, Yashpal Gupta, President Retailer and Trader Association, Prem Gupta, President Chemist and Druggist Association, Jammu and representatives of other Associations were present during the launch.
Follow our WhatsApp channel