Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 1: The Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday decided to make it mandatory for government and semi-government offices, government programmes and canteens to provide healthy snacks and meals, with nutritious options to be included in menus.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, emphasised providing balanced and nutritious food to government officers and employees during meetings, programmes and training sessions.
The move aims to make healthy lifestyles and nutritious eating a regular part of the daily lives of government employees. All departments will be instructed to take necessary action and ensure that healthy food options are available during meetings, programmes, training sessions, conferences and at canteens.
The recommended menu will include seasonal fruits such as bananas, apples, guavas and papayas, boiled eggs, boiled pulses, poha, idli-sambar, hot milk on request, sugar-free green tea, ragi bhakri, jowar and bajra bhakri, buttermilk, salads, vegetables, dals and usal.
The government will also seek to reduce the availability of oily and highly processed food items during snacks while promoting nutritious local and traditional foods. Meals will be encouraged to include dal, usal, leafy vegetables, buttermilk, salad, vegetables and balanced grains wherever required.
New catering contracts of the concerned offices will have to include healthy menu options. Before implementing the decision, government and semi-government institutions have also been asked to discuss the health-related approach with their employees.
The institutions will be required to create awareness among employees about healthy lifestyles and nutritious diets and prepare guidelines for providing balanced menus. The guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) can be used while finalising the menus.
Healthy food items such as fruits, boiled eggs, boiled pulses, poha, idli-sambar, hot milk and green tea have already been introduced at the canteen in Mantralaya. The initiative has helped reduce oily food options in snacks, while nutritious items such as dal, usal, leafy vegetables, buttermilk, salad and pulao are also being included in meals.
In another decision, the Cabinet granted the fourth revised administrative approval for works under the Kukadi irrigation project in Pune district, approving a provision of Rs 5,704.50 crore. The decision is expected to strengthen irrigation facilities in drought-prone areas of Pune, Ahilyanagar and Solapur districts.
The Cabinet also approved the declaration of the four-lane elevated corridor from the old Pune Naka to Boramani Naka on the national highway in Solapur city as a Vital Public Project. The move will facilitate the transfer of land belonging to various government departments to the National Highways Authority of India without charging occupancy value, paving the way for faster completion of the project.
The Cabinet further approved a comprehensive policy aimed at making Maharashtra drug-free by 2029 under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The policy will focus on extensive public awareness and strict action against narcotics, with participation from all government departments.
Responsibilities under the policy will be distributed from the village level to the district, divisional and Mantralaya levels. Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to undertake such a comprehensive campaign involving coordinated efforts of multiple departments to work towards creating a drug-free state.