One-fifth of food samples adulterated

June 5, 2015

New Delhi, Jun 5: With the favourite Indian noodle brand Maggi found containing high levels of lead and monosodium glutamate, there is a fear that a good portion of the food we buy from stores might be unfit for consumption.

adulterated

The Annual Public Laboratory Testing Report for 2014-15 brought out by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) says that of the 49,290 samples of food items it tested, 8,469, nearly one-fifth, were found adulterated or misbranded.

Fewer convictions

However, convictions were secured in only 1,246 cases. Many food adulteration cases never reached the conviction stage. The report shows that Rs. 6.9 crore in penalties was collected from errant agencies. Data from only 14 States are available in the report.

The FSSAI is a public authority, formed under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, mandated to ensure that food is safe for consumption.

By available data, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were found to have the largest sample of food items violating safety standard norms. However, the number of cases reaching conviction in these States is not encouraging.

In Tamil Nadu, where over 1,047 cases of adulterated food samples were found, only 203 reached conviction.

In Madhya Pradesh, the respective figures were 1,412 and 418. In Maharashtra, 75 of 1,162 cases reached conviction.

In Uttar Pradesh, 1,223 samples were found violating safety norms, but only 83 reached conviction.

By the 2006 Act, all cases of food adulteration and misbranding are punishable.

Lack of information

There is no information on food samples tested in States such as West Bengal. In New Delhi, though 148 food samples tested were found violating norms, there is no information on whether any measures were taken against the companies that manufactured or sold the product.

There is also no information on what the tested samples were of and if any preventive steps were taken when they were found to be adulterated.

Despite repeated attempts, the FSSAI officials remained inaccessible for comment.

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News Network
April 30,2020

Hyderabad, Apr 30: A 45-day-old baby boy, who tested positive for COVID-19 when he was 20-days-old, was discharged from a state-run hospital here on Wednesday after his full recovery.

The baby from Mahabubnagar, who contracted the infection from his father, was 20-days-old at the time of admission (on April 4), a COVID-19 bulletin said.

He was discharged after being cured, it said. The baby, probably the youngest to contract the infection in the country, was treated at the state-run Gandhi hospital in the city.

State Health Minister E Rajender expressed happiness over the baby being discharged after recovery.

An official release said 35 people were discharged today and 13 of them were children.

Those who were discharged thanked the doctors and medical personnel of the hospital and the minister has lauded the doctors and other medical staff for their efforts, it said.

Among those undergoing treatment at the hospital, 10 are being treated in the ICU.

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Agencies
January 5,2020

Puducherry, Jan 5: Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, a former IPS officer, became the butt of Twitterati jokes on Saturday after she tweeted that NASA recording of the sound of the sun was in fact 'Om' chant. She wrote at @thekiranbedi: "NASA recorded sound of the sun -- Sun chants Om."

The post got 5.6K retweets and 17.7K likes, and as many as 472.6K views.

One user remarked: "Wrong. The Sun said NaMo NaMo. You should've checked the UNESCO version along with the NASA version."

A post read: "And we thought you were intelligent."

One user posted a picture of Kiran Bedi with Sadhguru Jaggi who was trolled a few days ago after he posted his support on the Citizenship Amendment Act. He commented: "This picture can be provided."

A Twitter user reminded the former bureaucrat about the Indian Constitution's Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) that says that it shall be the duty of every citizens of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.

Another wondered aloud: "We don't know how you cleared the Civil Services exams. We are ashamed...."

A user posted a clip of a well known stand-up comic who talked about the celestial hum which many claim to be Om chant.

A post read: "I consider this tweet by you as one of the best jokes of the millennium. The saffron brigade is successful in brainwashing learned people like you."
One user commented: "Once upon a time this lady was a hero to many. What a disgrace now!"

Comments

Ahmed Ali Kulai
 - 
Monday, 6 Jan 2020

Shame on you!!

 

Dont know how you are appointed as IPS officer

 

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News Network
January 18,2020

Jammu, Jan 18: Prepaid mobile connections were restored in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday and 2G services resumed in two districts of the valley after being disconnected on August 5 last year. Voice and SMS facilities were restored for all local prepaid mobile phones across the Union territory.

Rohit Kansal, the principal secretary to the administration of Jammu and Kashmir said the order will come into effect from Saturday.

In order to consider giving mobile Internet connectivity on such SIM cards, the telecom service providers will have to verify the credentials of the subscribers, he said.

Internet service providers have been asked to provide fixed line Internet connectivity in all the 10 districts of Jammu region and two districts, Kupwara and Bandipora, in North Kashmir.

Telecom services were shut in the entire Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 when the Centre abrogated special status to the erstwhile state and also bifurcated it into two Union Territories.

However, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the UT administration last week for arbitrarily shutting down the Internet, the facility described as the fundamental right by the apex court.

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