Himachal Pradesh minister GS Bali on Friday admitted in the Assembly that a dead rat was found in a pack of Masoor Dal (pulse) supplied by Kanda Depot under PDS and the sample was “unfit for human consumption”.
Responding to a motion moved by BJP’s Rajiv Saijal, the minister said there was no such complaint from any other depot and out of the 500 samples sent to a food testing laboratory, only two were found unfit for human consumption.
Bali said that the 1kg pack of pulse was distributed from a wholesale godown at Dharampur on February 20, 2016 and the enquiry conducted by a food inspector revealed that a dead rat was found in the pack.
He said that the pulse was supplied by a Delhi-based mill, which had been issued notice and 20% of the consignment had been deducted as “penalty”.
Instructions have been issue to immediately withdraw the unsold stock of this consignment, he added.