The government has a strong stance against gutkha and has so far seized gutkha valued at ₹70 crore. Dharmaraobaba Atram, the state minister for food and drug administration, announced that a committee would be established to take action against gutkha vendors who are 500 meters or less from school property.
He declared that the shopkeeper will be charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) if gutkha vendors are targeted three times.
He went over the steps taken thus far and how the FDA was operating in each of the division’s five districts. He stated that the establishment of a laboratory through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) will increase the efficiency of the system for detecting adulteration. With only three operational laboratories, he acknowledged that action, including sample testing, is delayed. However, he said that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has approved the addition of more, and 500 employees will be hired shortly for this department. Ten mobile laboratories are currently under development, he said.
He informed that those implicated in the Malegaon “Kutta Goli” case are facing legal action.