Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Choudhary Zulfkar Ali on Friday called the department’s updated ‘Food Manual’ as a “guidebook” which he said should be strictly followed and adhered by the department.Speaking during a review meeting of FCS&CA, the Minister said the book holds the value of “guidebook” for the department as it prescribes clear instructions for everything required for smooth functioning of the department. He said if the employees follow it in letter and spirit it would enable them to deliver their duties in a more professional and better manner.
He added that adhering to the manual would not only help to streamline the department and but also go a long way in making it more vibrant.Giving the information about the manual, the Minister said that the manual is an updated version of the “Food Manual of 1972” which till date was never updated. He said a lot of effort was put into updating the book, and added it would only be beneficial when it is put into practice by everyone in the department.The Minister informed the officers that he would be visiting the various sections of the department across the State with the manual and if he finds someone doing dereliction of the guidelines laid down in the Food Manual action would be initiated.The Minister said the manual would help the follower to act professionally and be more efficient. Giving an example from the manual, he said the manual’s “first in first out” guideline would save us from lot of wastage as we would take that item out first that we stored first from our stores and this in turn would drastically cut down on the percentage of our wastage.Director FCS&CA, Jammu G S Chib, Director FSC&CA Kashmir Tassuduq Jeelani, Additional Secretary Ramesh Kumar, Financial Advisor, FSC&CA Zia Qazi, Deputy Secretary, FCS&CA, Arun Kotwal along with other officers attended the meeting.