Punjab has bagged the best performing state prize in 'Swasth Bharat Yatra', a pan India cyclothon cum healthy food awareness campaign , launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI. 

Facts :

• Punjab has been adjudged as best state in the category of smaller states.  Amritsar and Batala have been adjudged as best cities under the programme.
• 'Swasth Bharat Yatra' which was expanded to include the element of 'Tandrust Punjab Mission' in the State of Punjab was initiated from Gurdaspur on 2nd December 2018 after it entered Punjab from J&K.
• The state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wing of health department coordinated the activities of yatra in the state under Tandrust Punjab Mission.
• The 25 days Swasth Bharat-Tandrust Punjab Yatra has covered major districts aimed at spreading awareness about the theme of “Eat Right and Eat Safe Food”.
• Food business operators, NGOs, students and General public enthusiastically participated in the campaign to create awareness about eat safe and eat right.
• Special training sessions regarding safety, quality and hygiene was imparted to thousands of food business operators under this magnificent campaign.
• Underscoring the initiatives taken by State Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, FDA wing of health department was conducting the regular sampling of milk and food items in all districts of State to ensure the availability of nutritious and healthy food for the citizens of State.
• The Punjab health department kept strict check on the adulteration of milk and other food items in the last 2 years after the inception of this Government.
• The stern action would be taken against the all manufactures and sellers who violate the guidelines issued by the State Government.      
• The award was received at New Delhi by K S Pannu Commissioner FDA Punjab from Union Health Minister for State Mr. Ashwani Kumar Choubey.
• Congratulating the state team comprising of officers and officials of FDA for working hard to achieve this honour, Punjab Health Minister stressed on the need to make concerted efforts to further propagate the message of healthy eating and healthy living.

About Swasth Bharat Yatra :

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had launched Swasth Bharat Yatra to amplify its Eat Right India initiative.
• Swasth Bharat Yatra was a 100-day consumer outreach programme.
• The Yatra saw the participation of around 2.5 crore people across various States and UTs. It also led to the creation of 21,000 local ‘Eat Right Champions’ who would sustain this movement in the future.

Awards for Exemplary participation :

The following states were awarded for their Exemplary participation:

• Best State Overall: Tamil Nadu
• Best States with a population above 3 crore: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Best States having a population less than 3 crore: Punjab, Goa and Delhi
• Special awards: Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttrakhand were given special awards for their participation despite their hilly and difficult terrain.
• Eat Right Start-Up Awards were also be given for innovative food products, food services, food testing and community outreach and engagement at the ceremony.

About ‘Mission Tandarust Punjab’ :

• The Governor of Punjab set up a Mission titled ‘Tandarust Punjab’ in May, 2018, to make Punjab healthiest State with healthy people by taking care of its air quality, water quality, and safe food, ensuring a good living environment.
• The Mission envisages to build a healthy Punjab for achieving human excellence in a sustainable manner.
• 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 Punjab.

The strategy to achieve ‘ Tandarust Punjab’ would be:

• To focus on building awareness among the principal stakeholders, especially the residents of Punjab through comprehensive IEC planning and activities.
• To improve the working of regulatory mechanisms within the Government for achieving desired standards of living.
• To ensure proper implementation of development programmes of government.
• To obtain baseline data and set clear, achievable targets in a timebound manner.