To make Punjab the healthiest state in the country with healthy people, the state government will launch its ambitious “Mission Tandarust (healthy) Punjab” on Tuesday.
To be launched by the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the occasion of ”World Environment Day”, the main goal of the mission will be to provide clean drinking water, improve air quality, ensure growing and consuming unadulterated food and food products and to improve the physical and mental health of the people of the state.
`Tandarust Punjab’ will aim to take care of the state’s air quality, water quality, and safe food, thus ensuring a good living environment for the citizens of the state.
Given the criticality of health to the Mission’s objective, the Department for Health has been entrusted with the task of making people aware about the food safety concerns and effective implementation of Food Safety Act, especially ensuring the prescribed quality of Milk and Milk Products.
Preventing sale of spurious and unauthorized medicines as well as sale by unlicensed chemists is also high on the Department’s agenda, which will also work towards creating awareness about Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases and stressing upon preventive health aspects.
Free health screening of all citizens above the age of 30 years will be undertaken by the Department, which will also ensure effective implementation of the government’s School Health Programme.
To ensure adequate safe potable drinking water availability in rural areas by the Department of Water Supply & Sanitation would test water quality from time to time to ensure that physical, biological and chemical parameters are within prescribed limits.
Regular drives for vehicular pollution check by the Department of Transport, and laying protocols for safe water in rural and urban areas by the Department of Environment is another priority agenda.
The Department of Environment will also undertake regular monitoring to ensure ambient air quality, besides creating awareness against crop residue burning and implementing National Green Tribunal order in this regard.
It will check industrial pollution and ensuring effluents/emissions within laid down norms, and also ensure safe disposal of plastic, e-waste and bio-medical waste as per the prescribed rules.
Each of the concerned departments will designate one Nodal Officer to oversee the program implementation and coordinate with the Mission Director.