Oct 2, 2013

HAPPY GANDHI JAYANTHI


DINAKARAN NEWS



Health Ministry endorses ban on chewing tobacco, gutka

Consumption of products such as gudakhu, gul, mawa, khaini, zarda, maras, naswar gutka, zarda pan masala and areca nut (supari) can cause cancerous as well as non-cancerous diseases, the ministry said.  
Consumption of products such as gudakhu, gul, mawa, khaini, zarda, maras, naswar gutka, zarda pan masala and areca nut (supari) can cause cancerous as well as non-cancerous diseases, the ministry said.
NEW DELHI: The Union health ministry on Tuesday endorsed a ban on the manufacture and sale of all forms of nicotine-laced pan masala, gutka and chewing tobacco, telling the Supreme Court that the economic cost of tobacco use far outweigh revenues from its sale.
The court was hearing appeals filed by gutka and tobacco manufacturers against the ban imposed on them in some states. "The total economic cost of tobacco use was reported as $1.7 billion (about Rs 10,540 crore at the current exchange rate), which was more than the annual government expenditure on tobacco control, and 16% more than the total tax revenue generated from tobacco," the health ministry said, citing a study by the National Sample Survey of India.
The direct medical cost for treating smokeless tobacco-related cancers and diseases stood at $285 million, while indirect morbidity costs, including costs of caregivers and work loss due to illness, amounted to $104 million , it said.
The ministry also cited a court-ordered study by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare to emphasise the need for a total ban on manufacture and sale of such products to protect the citizens' right to health under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Consumption of products such as gudakhu, gul, mawa, khaini, zarda, maras, naswar gutka, zarda pan masala and areca nut (supari) can cause cancerous as well as non-cancerous diseases, the ministry said. The ministry claimed, through Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaisingh, that although the manufacture and sale of all forms of smokeless tobacco was made illegal under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the law was not being enforced strictly.
To the gutka lobby's argument that the industry should be regulated rather than banned, Jaisingh said there were over 3,095 chemical components in smokeless tobacco products, of which 28 were proven to be carcinogenic. The adverse health effects of smokeless tobacco far outweighed that of smoking, she added.
Quoting from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey — India fact sheet, Jaisingh said about a third of adults in the country use tobacco in some form or the other. Of these, 21% adults use only smokeless tobacco, while 9% smoke and 5 % indulge in both forms.
According to the ministry, the absence of a uniform ban on manufacture and sale of such products is marring the government's efforts — sale of gutka and pan masala is banned in all states and union territories, except Meghalaya and Lakshadweep.
Mizoram, Manipur, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Maharashtra have also issued orders banning sale of zarda, khaini and other forms of chewing tobacco, but Gujarat has allowed their manufacture for export. The hearing of the case will continue on Wednesday.

Centre wants ban on nicotine-laced gutka, chewing tobacco

  • The ASG told the court that through their misbranding the chewing tobacco companies were targeting
    The ASG told the court that through their misbranding the chewing tobacco companies were targeting "youth and poor people".
The government Tuesday pitched for a ban on all forms of chewing tobacco, gutka or supari laced with nicotine, saying these products fell under the prohibition prescribed under the food safety provisions.
"Gutka by its definition is a food added with nicotine and flavours" that is prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on sales) Regulations, 2011, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Indira Jaising told the apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice C. Nagappan.
Jaising said all form of non-smoking tobacco products were being marketed by misbranding them as mouth fresheners which were in fact unsafe and poisonous.
"You say that they are misbranding," court noted, asking Jaising: "How many cases you have filed against them?"
She said the burden of implementing the prohibition at the first level lay on industry, but it "does not mean if they don't do it then the government will not act".
The ASG told the court that through their misbranding the chewing tobacco companies were targeting "youth and poor people".
Addressing the question from the tobacco industry as to why government was banning gutka and not the cigarettes, the ASG said there was a tendency that people generally didn't use cigarettes because these were expensive and "culturally chewing tobacco in India is an acceptable norm".
Appearing for NGO Indian Asthma Care Society, counsel Prashant Bhushan drew the attention of the court to the diseases like cancer caused by chewing tobacco.
The court would next hear the case Oct 4.

Popping in a mouth freshener? Watch it

New Delhi, Oct. 1: Many prominent manufacturers are surreptitiously lacing mouth fresheners with cancer-causing gutkha to make them addictive, the Centre has told the Supreme Court.
The sale of gutkha, which contains tobacco, is banned in all states and Union Territories except Meghalaya and Lakshadweep.
“The ban on gutkha has been ineffective due to surreptitious activities of the smokeless tobacco industry,” additional solicitor-general Indira Jaising said.
“Many popular gutkha manufacturers are clandestinely using gutkha even in mouth fresheners and selling it to people. Their idea is to make people addicts and consume the products in large numbers,” she told the court.
The only remedy was to ban all forms of smokeless tobacco and related products, including mouth fresheners.
“Pan masala and arecanut or supari is a known carcinogenic. If gutkha is banned but other form of smokeless tobacco and its derivatives or additives, such as pan masala and flavoured arecanut or supari, is not banned then that would make the implementation of such a ban impossible,” Jaising told the court.
The Centre said popular gutkha manufacturers and producers were blatantly violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, by misbranding their “unsafe and substandard” gutkha and tobacco.
The court was hearing arguments on a batch of petitions by NGOs seeking a ban on cancer-causing gutkha and cross-appeals by the manufacturers who argue that gutkha cannot be singled out and that the same yardstick should apply to cigarettes. The arguments will resume on Friday.
Jaising told the bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and C. Nagappan that the manufacturers had a moral and social responsibility. In reply to a query from the court, she said: “We are not expected to issue any further clarification or notification as under Section 26 of the 2006 Act a duty is cast on the food manufacturers (not to adulterate).”
The law officer said that although tobacco products are banned from sale in the close proximity of educational institutions, the order was followed more in the breach. Again, she said, the responsibility for enforcing the ban also lay with the heads of the educational institutions.
“It is not that we will not act. But it is for the manufacturers and heads of educational institutions to act,” she told the bench.
The government, in its written submissions before the court, today said the use of smokeless tobacco indicates significant risk of oral cancer, pharyngeal cancer, oesophageal cancer and pancreatic cancer. The risk of these cancers is found to increase with higher dosage and frequency of smokeless tobacco use, the health ministry said.
“Tobacco is the only consumer product that kills half of its consumers prematurely…. Tobacco has got no use whatsoever apart from causing death and disability,” the government said.

Ngari manufacturing units need to comply with food safety rules

Imphal, October 01 2013: In order to maintain a standard, the whole process of manufacturing ngari, the most ubiquitous food component of Meitei community, needs to follow proper food safety rules.
Talking exclusively with The Sangai Express, some ngari wholesale dealers of Khwairamband market candidly admitted the necessity of keeping a standard as far as the process of manufacturing ngari is concerned.
60 year old Maisnam Ibomcha of Nambol Bazar said that their family has been engaged in the profession of manufacturing ngari since the time of his father Maisnam Modhumangol.
Saying that they have been following exactly all the process (of manufacturing ngari) prescribed by his father, Ibomcha said that the interior side of pots used in fermentation of phabou are first smeared with pure mustard oil.
Then phabou washed with clean water thoroughly is put into the pots in such a manner that there is no leakage of air or moisture.
The pots thus filled tightly with phabou are covered with clay before the pots are buried under earth for a period of eight months during which the phabou gets fermented and turns into ngari.
Ngaris on sale
Ngaris on sale
About 30 years back, a particular fish oil available in Bangladesh was used for oiling the interior of ngari pots.
But these days, the particular fish oil has become very scarce.
A ngari pot tied well without leaving any room for leakage of air can be preserved for two/three years.
"But ngaris preserved longer than three years would start losing its temperature as well as taste.
This is our professional experience", Ibomcha said.
Most of the phabous used for manufacturing ngari in Manipur are bought from dry fish market of Jagirod, Assam at the rate of Rs 10 lakh per truck load.
Around 400 to 500 pots of phabous are processed for fermentation in one batch.
Generally, one truck load of phabou can fetch a profit of Rs 2.5 lakh when it is fermented and turned into ngari.
However, if one takes into account the labour cost and time spent, the profit margin comes down much lower.
For manufacturing ngari, one has to possess licence issued by the Imphal Municipal Council and certificates issued by relevant DICs, In addition, ngari manufacturing units are required to comply with the rules of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, Ibomcha said.
Once an MLA publicly stated that Urea (fertilizer) was used in the manufacturing process of ngari in order to make the phabous ferment and turn into ngari within a much shorter time period.
But when ngari manufacturers appealed to every consumer through media to point out if any shop was selling ngaris fermented with the help of Urea, nobody can point any shop till date.
Even today some people have been saying that Urea is used in manufacturing ngari.
This is really disheartening to all scrupulous ngari manufacturers, Ibomcha decried.
He further advised all fellow ngari manufacturers not to adulterate edible items in any manner.
Earlier, it was only the Meiteis who were engaged in manufacturing ngari but since the past few years some tribal people and Muslims have taken up the profession.
Price of ngari varies between Rs 100, Rs 150, Rs 200 and Rs 400 per Kg.
The variance in price corresponds to the quality of phabou used in manufacturing ngari.
Phabous which emit oil when heated are assumed as good raw materials for manufacturing ngari.
Those which do not emit oil or get burnt completely taken to be of inferior quality, Ibomcha elucidated.
Okram Indrajit from Singjamei Oinam Thingel said that officials of the Manipur Science and Technology Council (MASTEC) visited their ngari manufacturing unit, collected samples of the raw materials and checked their quality.
He went on to claim that he has been producing only quality products.

Health team destroys five quintals of unsafe sweets at Salem Tabri factory

Ludhiana-The health department on Tuesday seized and destroyed around five quintals of unsafe sweets and raw material at Muskan Sweets Factory being run in the residential area of Salem Tabri on Tuesday.
The health team found the sweets being prepared under unhygienic conditions and duplicate silver leaves being used on “barfi” and coconut “pedas”. According to the team, non-permitted synthetic pink, green and other colours were being used for preparing sweets. “The owner, who was identified as Vinod Prasad, used to collect waste ‘chashni’, condensed sweetened water, at very low rates from different shops in the city and then prepare sweets in unhygienic way. We found that non-permitted synthetic colours, which are harmful for human body, were being used,” Dr Abnash Kumar, district health officer, Ludhiana said.
Dr Kumar, who was leading the health team, said, “We raided the factory following a tip-off. These sweets were to be supplied in the market during the upcoming festival season.”
Giving further details, Dr Kumar said, “Non-permitted synthetic colours and adulterated sweets can lead to cancer and kidneys stones, besides other diseases. I warn all sweet shopkeepers to sell only safe and healthy sweets. We will continue to carry out such raids to ensure only safe products are sold in the festival season. The residents can inform the civil surgeon’s office if they have complaints about adulterated sweets.”
Manoj Khosla, food safety officer, said duplicate silver leaves were being used on these sweets, adding that some items were destroyed on the spot, while some were seized. The reports of collected samples would come within two weeks, he added.
Harpreet Kaur, food safety officer, who was also part of the department’s team, said according to the Food Safety and Standards Act, the cases of adulteration and labelling matters came in the categories of “substandard” and “misbranded”, while the use of synthetic and major adulterated products, including harmful chemicals fell under the “unsafe” category.
Put a drop of iodine liquid on khoya. If a blue layer is formed, it indicates the presence of starch in khoya. Rub the silver leaf layer on sweets with two fingers if it becomes powder then it is original. If after rubbing it forms a wick then it could be aluminium foil which is dangerous for health. Food safety officer Harpreet Kaur said two samples of chicken curry and fish curry collected from Aman Chicken shop, near railway crossing in Shastri Nagar, failed laboratory test. These samples were found unsafe during the test. One sample of bread pakora, which was collected from Sharma Sweets, Model Town in September, also failed test. The sample was of substandard quality.

Mansions in Chennai under the scanner

Many of these buildings violate health & safety norms, Corporation officials said

More than 1,000 mansions, guesthouses, hostels and service apartments in the city that are violating safety and public health norms may soon be shut down.
The Chennai Corporation is set to conduct a major drive to lock and seal such buildings and has already issued circulars to its 15 zonal officers asking them to ensure buildings in their zones take steps to adhere to norms.
The move follows concerns raised recently at a Corporation Council meeting about such establishments, as a wide variety of communicable diseases are regularly reported from them. Unhygienic food is believed to be the main contributing factor.
Corporation officials said these buildings, mostly in Perungudi, Sholinganallur, Triplicane, Adyar, Teynampet, Anna Nagar and Ambattur, were also flouting building norms and operating without trade licences.
To deal with this, the Corporation has come up with a new licencing system, under which zonal officers will issue licences under section 279 of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act to all such buildings.
The Act specifies stringent health and safety rules, which all buildings must put in place in order to obtain the licence.
Failure on their part to take remedial measures or obtain the licence would lead to their closure, an official said.
Only a small segment of these establishments have obtained registration certificates under section 101 of the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act. Registration certificates are also mandatory for these establishments.
Grounds on which action can be initiated include failure to provide 40 sq.ft. of floor space and 400 cubic feet for every occupant, to paint the walls according to specific directions, to install fire fighting equipment and CCTV cameras, to lay washable flooring, to maintain a supply of boiled drinking water and to prevent accumulation of garbage on the premises.
Accommodating more people than stipulated and employing workers with infectious diseases can also invite cancellation of licences.
The Corporation official said that notices would shortly be issued to establishments that do not comply with these norms.

MAALAI MALAR NEWS


MAALAI MALAR NEWS


பெà®™்களூà®°ில் இருந்து மதுà®°ைக்கு 2 லாà®°ிகளில் கடத்தப்பட்ட 16.5 லட்சம் புகையிலை பறிà®®ுதல்

à®®ேட்டூà®°், அக்.2:
பெà®™்களூà®°ில் இருந்து மதுà®°ைக்கு 2 லாà®°ிகளில் கடத்தப்பட்ட
16.5 லட்சம் மதிப்புள்ள புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகளை சேலம் à®…à®°ுகே போலீசாà®°் பறிà®®ுதல் செய்தனர்.
பெà®™்களூà®°ில் இருந்து சேலம் à®®ாவட்டம் வழியாக மதுà®°ைக்கு தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பொà®°ுட்கள் கடத்தப்படுவதாக சேலம் எஸ்பி சக்திவேலுக்கு ரகசிய தகவல் கிடைத்தது. இதன் பேà®°ில், à®®ேச்சேà®°ி போலீசாà®°் கண்காணிப்பு பணியை தீவிரப்படுத்தினர்.
காவல் ஆய்வாளர் சுà®°ேà®·்குà®®ாà®°் மற்à®±ுà®®் போலீசாà®°் தொப்பூà®°் சோதனைச்சாவடி பகுதியில் வாகன தணிக்கையை à®®ுடுக்கி விட்டனர். அப்போது, அந்த வழியாக சந்தேகத்திà®±்கிடமாக வந்த 2 லாà®°ிகளை நிà®±ுத்தி சோதனை நடத்தினர். இதில், லாà®°ிகளில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகள் பண்டல் பண்டலாக இருப்பது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது.
லாà®°ியை ஓட்டி வந்த à®®ேச்சேà®°ி வெள்ளாளபாளையத்தைச் சேà®°்ந்த வெà®™்கடாசலபதி (22), விஜயகுà®®ாà®°் (25) ஆகியோà®°ை போலீசாà®°் கைது செய்தனர். அவர்களிடம் நடத்திய விசாரணையில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகளை பெà®™்களூà®°ில் இருந்து மதுà®°ைக்கு கடத்திச் சென்றது தெà®°ிய வந்தது.இதையடுத்து, தலா
18 லட்சம் மதிப்புள்ள இரண்டு லாà®°ிகளையுà®®் பறிà®®ுதல் செய்த போலீசாà®°், à®’à®°ு லாà®°ியில் இருந்து தலா 15 கிà®°ாà®®் எடை கொண்ட 1,77,600 புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகளையுà®®், மற்à®±ொà®°ு லாà®°ியில் இருந்து தலா 17 கிà®°ாà®®் எடை கொண்ட 1,54,000 புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகளையுà®®் கைப்பற்à®±ினர். இவற்à®±ின் à®®ொத்த மதிப்பு
16 லட்சத்து 58 ஆயிà®°à®®். புகையிலை பொà®°ுட்களை அனுப்பி வைத்த பெà®™்களூà®°் நபர் யாà®°்? யாà®°ுக்காக கடத்திச்செல்லப்பட்டது என்பது குà®±ித்து போலீசாà®°் விசாà®°ித்து வருகின்றனர்.

à®°ூ.17.54 லட்சம் புகையிலைகடத்திய 2 லாà®°ிகள் பறிà®®ுதல்:லாà®°ி டிà®°ைவர்கள் கைது

à®®ேட்டூà®°்: பெà®™்களூà®°ுவில் இருந்து மதுà®°ைக்கு கடத்திய, 17.54 லட்சம் à®°ூபாய் மதிப்புள்ள புகையில் பாக்கெட்டுகளை à®®ேச்சேà®°ி போலீஸாà®°் பறிà®®ுதல் செய்து, இரு லாà®°ியுடன் டிà®°ைவர்களை கைது செய்தனர்.கர்நாடகா à®®ாநிலம், பெà®™்களூà®°ுவில் இருந்து மதுà®°ைக்கு, இரு லாà®°ிகளில் புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகள் கடத்துவதாக, à®®ேச்சேà®°ி போலீஸாà®°ுக்கு ரகசிய தகவல் கிடைத்தது.நேà®±்à®±ு இரவு, à®®ேச்சேà®°ி இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் சுà®°ேà®·்குà®®ாà®°் தலைà®®ையில் போலீஸாà®°் தொப்பூà®°் நெடுஞ்சாலையில், வாகன சோதனையில் ஈடுபட்டனர். அப்போது, அந்த வழியாக வந்த, இரு லாà®°ிகளை நிà®±ுத்தி சோதனை செய்த போது, à®’à®°ு லாà®°ியில், 8.80 லட்சம் à®°ூபாய், மற்à®±ொà®°ு லாà®°ியில், 8.74 லட்சம் à®°ூபாய் மதிப்புள்ள புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகள், மதுà®°ைக்கு கடத்திச் செல்வது தெà®°ிய வந்தது.புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகளுடன், இரு லாà®°ிகளையுà®®் போலீஸாà®°் பறிà®®ுதல் செய்தனர். புகையிலை கடத்திய à®®ேச்சேà®°ி அடுத்த, வெள்ளப்பம்பட்டியை சேà®°்ந்த லாà®°ி டிà®°ைவர்கள் வெà®™்கடாசலபதி, 24, விஜயகுà®®ாà®°், 25 ஆகியோà®°ையுà®®் கைது செய்தனர். à®®ேலுà®®், வெள்ளப்பட்டி à®…à®°ுகிலுள்ள உப்பாரப்பட்டியை சேà®°்ந்த லாà®°ி உரிà®®ையாளர்கள் மயில்சாà®®ி, சுப்ரமணியன் ஆகியோà®°ை தேடி வருகின்றனர்.

à®®ேச்சேà®°ி à®…à®°ுகே லாà®°ிகளில் திடீà®°் சோதனை தடை செய்யப்பட்ட à®°ூ.16½ லட்சம் புகையிலை பொà®°ுட்கள் பறிà®®ுதல் டிà®°ைவர்கள் 2 பேà®°் கைது

 à®®ேச்சேà®°ி, அக்.2- அரசின் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பொà®°ுட்கள் லாà®°ிகளில் கடத்தி வருவதாக à®®ேச்சேà®°ி போலீசாà®°ுக்கு ரகசிய தகவல் கிடைத்தது. உடனே போலீஸ் இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் சுà®°ேà®·்குà®®ாà®°் தலைà®®ையில் தொப்பூà®°் சோதனை சாவடி à®®ேச்சேà®°ி பிà®°ிவு à®°ோட்டில் அவர்கள் நேà®±்à®±ு இரவு வாகன சோதனையில் ஈடுபட்டனர்.அப்போது அந்த வழியாக அடுத்தடுத்து 2 லாà®°ிகள் வந்தன. அவற்à®±ை நிà®±ுத்தி போலீசாà®°் சோதனை செய்தனர். அந்த வேளையில் அவற்à®±ில் அரசு தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பொà®°ுட்கள் கடத்தி வந்தது தெà®°ிய வந்தது. அவற்à®±ை போலீசாà®°் பறிà®®ுதல் செய்தனர். அவற்à®±ின் மதிப்பு à®°ூ.16 லட்சத்து 58 ஆயிà®°à®®் ஆகுà®®். அவற்à®±ை கடத்தி வந்த லாà®°ிகளுà®®் பறிà®®ுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன. அவற்à®±ின் மதிப்பு à®°ூ.30 லட்சம்.இது தொடர்பாக லாà®°ி டிà®°ைவர்கள் 2 பேà®°் கைது செய்யப்பட்டனர். அவர்களில் à®’à®°ுவர் பெயர் விஜயகுà®®ாà®°்(வயது 25). இன்னொà®°ுவர் வெà®™்கடாஜலபதி(24). இவர்கள் à®®ேச்சேà®°ி à®…à®°ுகே உள்ள வெள்ளாà®°் செல்லப்பம்பட்டியை சேà®°்ந்தவர்கள்.விசாரணையில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பொà®°ுட்களை பெà®™்களூà®°ில் இருந்து மதுà®°ைக்கு கடத்தி வந்தது தெà®°ிய வந்தது.