BANGALORE: Traders dealing in food who require obtaining a license by February 4 in order to comply with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 are up against the "draconian legislation," said Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the apex body representing the interests of retailers.
Speaking to The Hindu before addressing traders gathered under the auspices of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), Mr. Khandelwal said: "The deadline for mandatory licenses for those retailing food is likely to be extended by another year, just as it was in the last two years."
Mr. Khandelwal said the CAIT leadership, during its recent meeting with the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, had been assured them of a "favourable response."
He said Union Minister for Communications and IT Kapil Sibal, whom he met on Friday, had assured them of a "favourable review" of the implementation of the legislation. "The legislation is not merely impractical but also sinister," Mr. Khandelwal said.
He alleged that the provisions are geared to "wipe out" Indian competition to multinationals operating in the food business. "We have urged the government to review the legislation and spend the next year consulting all stakeholders so that we are left with a people friendly legislation."
Even nodal agencies under government control, such as the Food Corporation of India and the Central Warehousing Corporation, are not yet compliant with the legislation, he observed. "At this rate, even the Karnataka Chief Minister's pet scheme, the Anna Bhagya, runs the 'risk of getting derailed," he remarked