Bihar: Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya opens national food laboratory at Raxaul

MOTIHARI: Union minister for health and family welfare Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated national food laboratory (NFL) constructed by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India at Raxaul on Sunday. Earlier, food items were being tested at Kolkata NFL, which is 700km away from Raxaul.
He said this NFL has been established under Indo-Nepal bilateral agreement to reduce the time in testing of imported food or fruit samples brought to Raxaul from Nepal.
Mandaviya further said the exporters of Nepal will find it easier to send more food items to India. Large number of trucks and tankers and other commercial transport vehicles loaded with fruits, milk, sweets and readymade foods cross Raxaul Customs checkpost daily. Now, quality of food and other items coming from other countries will be tested at the NFL there.
State's health minister Mangal Pandey presided over the function. Mahendra Rai Yadav, Nepal minister for agriculture, animal and birds development department, Vimal Prasad Shrivastav, MP of Parsa in Nepal, and Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, MP Paschim Champaran, participated in the function.
Mandaviya also interacted with the beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat Yojana and said the vision of new India, as envisaged by PM Narendra Modi, is to make healthcare accessible and affordable for all poor people. This scheme has provided free treatment facilities to crores of marginalized people and has become a boon for the poor.
He said Manisha, Rupa Kumari and Faize Khatoon narrated their stories before him that how they had no money for their treatment but got the benefits of Ayushman Bharat Yojana in big hospitals and got free medical aid.
Earlier, Mandaviya also inaugurated a new sub-divisional hospital at Raxaul built at a cost of Rs16 crore by the state government.
Bihar health minister Pandey said this hospital has 50 beds and the number would be raised to 100. This hospital has modern OT, OPD, ICU and other facilities and it is centrally airconditioned.