Asking the state governments to tighten their machinery to curb food adulteration and prevent perpetrators of heinous crime of playing havoc with health and lives of people, the government on Thursday painted a grim picture of high percentage of milk and beverage adulteration in four states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat.

The adulteration was as high as 34.1 percent in 619 samples of milk and milk products collected in Punjab, followed by 17.3 percent in 156 samples collected in Andhra Pradesh and 15.7 percent in 1,063 samples collected in Maharashtra, Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi disclosed in parliament in response to a call-attention motion by Jagadambika Pal (Cong) and two others.

He pointed out that Punjab also led in percentage of adulteration in beverages (35.8 percent of 170 samples), followed by Gujarat (24 percent of 121 samples), Maharashtra (23.84 percent of 281 samples) and Andhra Pradesh (20.22 percent of 277 sample).

The minister also referred to a phenomena of injecting fruits and vegetables with chemicals like Oxytocin and misuse of animal fat and urea in production of milk and products like desi ghee, mawa, etc. He said import of milk and milk products from China had to be banned in 2008 after reports of children's death from their adulteration with melamine.

MPs were agitated at the minister not accepting rise in instances of the adulteration as reflected in reports almost every day as the data fielded by him showed the number of cases registered under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act dropping sharply from 7,695 in 2006 to 3,902 in 2007 and 3,250 in 2008.

A large number of members wanted to speak on the malady but the deputy speaker did not permit them citing the rules that allow only those giving the call-attention notice. The minister, however, intervened to state that he was as much agitated and would be happy if a motion is brought for a full-day discussion. When some members tried to disrupt him by speaking together, Trivedi quipped: "Aapki chinta milawat par hai. Hulla-gulla se to hamari speech mein bhi milawat ho jayegi."

The house was adjourned for the lunch break as pandemonium continued even after the chair agreed for a debate later on the prompting by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to give a notice for the purpose.