By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Aug: The Uttarakhand Government has initiated steps to ensure compliance of a Supreme Court order regarding mandatory display of food licences by vendors. Instructions to ensure strict compliance of the SC order have been issued by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had directed all the state governments to ensure that food licences are visibly displayed at establishments selling food items. The directive was issued by the apex court on 22 July 2025, during a hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the context of the recent Kanwar Yatra. A joint bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotishwar Singh had issued directives that the food vendors must publicly display their licences not only during the Kanwar Yatra but under all circumstances, as a matter of standard public health protocol.
The Uttarakhand Government, led by Pushkar Singh Dhami, had already moved in this direction during the Kanwar Yatra, following alarming reports involving certain instances of spit being mixed in food items. Now, in the wake of the SC directive, the government has reinforced its commitment to hygienic food practices, and has now issued a government order applicable to meat sellers and establishments serving prepared meat, such as restaurants, dhabas, and hotels, requiring them also to prominently indicate whether the meat being served is halal or jhatka. This directive was also taken in response to certain representations in this regard received from the National Commission for Minorities.
Emphasising the importance of transparency and cleanliness in food services, CM Dhami has asserted that every food vendor in Uttarakhand must obtain a valid food licence and make it visible to consumers. Following the Supreme Court’s order, the Health and Food Departments have been directed to ensure full implementation across the state. Condemning certain prior incidents involving spitting on food or mixing certain undesirable things in food as “disgusting,” the CM has reaffirmed that such practices would not be tolerated. With millions of devotees and tourists visiting Uttarakhand, the government bears the responsibility of guaranteeing clean and safe food, both for them and local residents.
Sources claim that in order to ensure uniform standardisation of the process, the Uttarakhand government has proposed that the Food Department develop a uniform format for displaying food licence information. This format would require licence details, such as licence number and holder’s name, to be printed clearly and displayed outside all food-selling premises in a prescribed size, allowing for easy verification and transparency.
