GREATER NOIDA, March 4 -- The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has launched surprise inspections and extensive sampling across the district to ensure the availability of safe and unadulterated food ahead of Holi on March 14 and the subsequent Navratri festivities, officials said on Monday.

District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma has instructed food safety officers to launch an intensive drive covering both urban and rural areas, focusing on sweets, dairy products, cooking oils, and beverages, officials said. Special emphasis has been placed on collecting samples of kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour), widely consumed during Navratri fasting, along with other fasting staples like singhada atta (water chestnut flour) and bhagar or sama...