Is our young generation fool? No I do not feel so, it is the over confidence and illusion which brings them under the trap of so call marketing strategies otherwise our mature young people, though they are few but percentage are increasing, who are conscious about their health and they do not use these aerated waters in their toilets even. Aware people who keep their finger on news are fully aware about the fungus and even once the condom was found in their sealed bottle. Insects were found in Cadburys chocolate. It is ironical that an icon like Amitabh Bachchan came for their rescue for just few bucks to brainwash our Indian people so that our children should start once again chewing the junk food, which is basically a slow poison. It is a shame for such a living legend to whom we people worship. Now it is enough, our young educated people should come to fight for such products and the campaigner be they are Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareen Kapoor or any Tom, Dick and Harry. We should not respect to those people who are basically acts like enemies and exploit the innocent sentiments. YES THESE SHOULD BE BANNED STRCTLY, IF IT IS DONE OFFICIALLY, OUR PEOPLE SHOULD Do.
Mr Rajwade seems to have forgotten the Bhopal massacre by Union Carbide. Also he is ignorant about the fact that Kerala has the best health indices in the country,thanks to the high rate of awareness among the public there.The Coke and Pepsi ban is just one of the long list of examples where Keralites have not allowed people or companies with just profit in their mind to take advantage of them. Also Mr Rajwade should remind himself that we are a democracy and the Left in Kerala have been elected by the people and their actions are a reflection of what the public wants. After all it is their health which is at stake when we are talking about pesticides here. Small local industries cannot be compared to Coke/Pepsi with billions of dollars at their disposal. Ofcourse action should be taken against the small ones if they violate standards but there has to be a beginning and this is what Mr Rajwade should have addressed. Mr Rajwade do you want to put FDI above your and your children's health? One can work only if one is alive and healthy,right Mr Rajwade? I am sorry if you are amongst the small minority of Indians who don't think so or is it just that you wrote an anti-Left rhetoric ?
Yes - the ban is NOT justified. As Sharad Pawar has correctly stated "given the extensive use of insecticides and pesticides in farming and horticulture, even mother's milk contains such residue - and so is the case with vegetables, fruits and, indeed, drinking water supplied by most municipalities". Indeed the Govt is not doing anything for providing safe drinking water - and to hide its failure it uses Sunita Narain to bring up such issues. In any case no one is forcing you to have Coke/Pepsi - Cigarretes and Pan masala are sold freely. The LEFT as usual is NEVER RIGHT (Correct) in these matters - its actions are always against the interests of the country - even Communist China or Russia will not accept these persons or their ideas.
the argument of pesticides in grains, vegetables is fine, but they are washed or need to be thoroughly washed and may be cooked before consumption, aint it? what can you do to the soft drinks. the issue is the amount of pesticides before consumption. What would happen if the same drinks had the same amount of pesticides content in the west where the money we spend ends up, would it be acceptable? Why cant these companies that boast of state of art techniques adopt the same manufacturing standards as they do in the west. That would make them truly global. Going after the behemoths is better as the smaller firms will fall in line as well as educating the huge market that the major soft drinks have captured. Lets not the adage 'Health is Wealth' be blinded by the potential FDI inflows.
1. It was been proved that the Coke plant in Kerala was depleting the ground water level. It was the local panchayath that banned the operation of the Coke plant and the Hon'ble High Court of Kerala endorced the decision 2. Ofcourse we should welcome foreign investment in the country. But it should not be at the cost of the health of the Indians. A simple question....will Coke and Pepsi ever dare to sell their concoctions what they sell in India in US or European countries? The answer is an emphatic NO. Why should there be two health standards for Indians and those in the developed nations? 3. That the Indian standards in this regard are in draft stage is no excuse to sell sub standard products in India. Infact these companies should have adhered to the stringent standards followed in US and Europe and taken pride to say that their product quality is same everywhere
tail piece.....the Coke plant in Kerala was selling its waste residue to the local farmers. Non other than the BBC team proved that it contained extremely high levels of heavy metals
I feel the Govt. of india should immediately intervene and get the ban lifted. They should also set some stringent standards for all beverage manufacturers both local and mnc's and also take all steps to improve the quality of drinking water which is the source for these plants. The govt should encourage usage of organic fertilizers by farmers in the fields and not the chemicals that are in use now. This will go a long way in removing the pesticide residues in most of the food stuffs that we indians are taking now.
Looks like the author of this column is getting paid for writing an article like this.Eventhough Pepsi and coke are multi billion brands,it should be banned if the products contains pestiside contents as per the Delhi-based research group who said last week that the soft drinks have pesticides levels that far exceed national standards.The action taken by the kerala government is a brave step.So far, seven Indian states have banned the sale of Coke, Pepsi and much more to follow...
