The Hindu Business Line : Maharashtra wants ban on kesari dal to go

The Maharashtra Government, having sought the permission of the Centre to lift the ban almost a year ago, has now raised the issue in the current session of Parliament.

Even as the entire scientific community seems united in the view that kesari dal, prohibited in February 1961 under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, as its consumption is associated with lathyrism - a disease of the nerves, causing paralysis, Maharashtra is pushing ahead with a pro-keasri dal agenda.

Mr J. Saharia, Principal Secretary (Agriculture), confirmed this, saying: "The Maharashtra Government has written to the Centre about lifting the ban on kesari dal. Beyond that I cannot comment on the issue."

A high powered committee on kesari dal, constituted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture in its report on November 11, 2001, had upheld that continued consumption causes lathyrism. And, it recommended that more research is needed on the toxicity of the dal.

Mr Hansraj Ahir, Member of Parliament from Chandrapur, Maharashtra, who raised the issue in the Lok Sabha on August 22, told Business Line: "The Maharashtra Government had sent the proposal to the Centre about lifting the ban about a year ago. But it was not substantiated by any new facts or conclusive evidence to show that consumption of kesari dal was safe for human consumption."

According to Dr B.M. Jamadangi, Principal Scientist, Pulses Improvement Project, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra, there could be arguments favouring kesari dal: the dal is cheaply available, good in taste and a highly drought resistant crop.

"The poor in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and parts of central India are its main consumers though it is not cultivated in Maharashtra. It is a banned pulse, which in many instances is used for adulteration."

Sources in the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, confirmed that decades ago, one witnessed higher number of patients suffering from lathyrism but the numbers had fallen of late as consumption of kesari dal has decreased. The dal contains toxins that cause central nervous system to produce irreversible spastic conditions. Symptoms include walking difficulties, unbearable cramps, and weakness in the legs, he said.

However, Dr Shantilal Kothari, a Nagpur-based nutritionist, who has been striving to lift the ban, said: "Kesari dal is a good source of protein and easy to cook. Since 1920s there have been reports to the contrary but all reports are inconclusive as they do not establish a direct link between kesari dal and lathyrism."

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
FMC planning to abolish changes in futures contract specifications

Wheat prices likely to be steady

Maharashtra wants ban on kesari dal to go

Supply glut

Karnataka to market organically grown items under `Jaivik'

More loads to carry

Spot rubber prices move up further

Bajaj Hindusthan board okays 55% stake in Pratappur Sugar

Shree Renuka Sugars plans IPO to fund Rs 128-cr expansion

Simbhaoli Sugar rights issue opens on Sept 9

Quality tea stirs industry revival

Coffee output may be hit on dropping

On the wrong side of the fence