00:00 Hello I am Aminah Ansari and you are watching SW News English.
00:04 The Uttar Pradesh government has banned halal certified food products in the state with
00:10 immediate effect. This move has sparked a row in the state and in the political circle.
00:16 Now it is prohibited in the state to produce, store, distribute and sell any food product
00:22 with the halal certification. But there's a twist here. This prohibition is only limited
00:29 within the state boundaries. This means that export of the halal certified items can continue
00:36 but the public of the state cannot utilize halal products.
00:39 The officials have stated that this prohibition has been imposed in the interest of public
00:44 health and to prevent confusion. The Commissioner's order states that the right to decide the
00:50 quality of food item lies only with the authorities under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
00:56 Let's first know what halal food is. Halal is an Arabic word meaning permissible. In
01:04 Islamic belief, it is forbidden to consume food products which do not match halal. The
01:10 criteria for halal meat includes the manner of animal's death which guides how it should
01:15 be processed and stored. The state's order reads, "Halal certification of food products
01:22 is a parlor system which creates confusion regarding the quality of food items and is
01:27 completely against the basic intention of the said Act and is not tenable under section
01:33 89 of the said Act. The state government has warned of strict actions against those who
01:38 violate the ban. This order from the Yogi Abidinath led government came after the Uttar
01:43 Pradesh police filed multiple cases against several firms for selling halal certified
01:48 products by using fake documents. This FIR was lodged at Hazaratganj police station on
01:55 complaint by Sailendra Kumar Sharma who accused that these companies are using halal certification
02:02 without any authority for some products to increase their sales. The complainant alleged
02:07 a potential conspiracy to ensure lower sales of products that do not have a halal certificate.
02:14 The complainant also alleged that it was harming business interests of other communities. The
02:20 complainant termed this as a malicious attempt to seek financial benefits by issuing halal
02:25 certification for items which are meant for common citizens. The complainant said that
02:31 this is a pre-planned strategy to sow class hatred, create division and weaken the country.
02:42 Thank you for watching.
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