There is a very old story. Famous scientist Jagdish Chandra Basu had a gathering on the roof every evening outside the laboratory at the Science College of Kolkata (which is the science department of Calcutta University). In this, all the professors, students or meeting them used to reach them. On the outside the road, there used to be tea in the Khomche Khomche (Murmure-Padodi, usually onion) and small kulad and gossip started with him. One day a disciple of Basu returned from America. He saw the breakfast of the evening and said, “Sir, this is poison.” Basu laughed and said, “We have grown up by eating poison, it is in our blood, so do not think more.” But now the government is warning like this about jalebi-samosa. However, even today, a large number of people in the country take a taste of jalebi and samosas with great fervor, and those who are unable to taste, they get water in their mouths as soon as they listen to mention.
Indeed, recently, the Union Health Ministry has issued instructions to write a warning about popular Indian dishes like Samosas, Jalebi and Laddus, exactly the same as cigarettes, tobacco packets are given scary warnings. The Ministry of Health has instructed all central institutions across the country including AIIMS Nagpur to put a ‘board of oil and sugar’ on which the amount of fat and sugar present in the favorite breakfast is clearly written.
The aspect of relief in this instruction is that it will not be necessary to write this information at every samoso or jalebi selling shop. This rule is not applicable to general confectionery or common market shops. There is a provision to write this warning only on the board of the canteen of the central ministries, government departments and the Central Institute. The government says that by giving information about the amount of fat and sugar in snacks like samosa, pakoda, laddus or jalebi, people will be able to know the reality themselves. In the ministry’s advisory, there is talk of installing education boards in office spaces like lobby, canteen, cafeteria and meeting room. According to the ministry, these boards will work to raise awareness about the harmful effects for the health of more oil, sugar and fat food products (pizza, burgers, samosa, vada pav, kachori).
But what is the reason for this warning today? The documents of the Ministry of Health have expressed serious concern over the increasing obesity in the country. It is estimated that by 2050, 44.9 million people in India may be obese, which will make the country second in the world after America in terms of this merge. Currently, one adult person in every five cities of the country is obese. Due to increasing obesity, wrong eating and declining physical activities in children, anxiety is increasing even more.
However, such reports have come many times. The worldwide controversy has become a matter of controversy that the lobbies of multinational or big companies have been making a lot of alternative against alternative products to promote their products. For example, a few decades ago an atmosphere was created against the mother’s milk for the baby, so that sales of dubbed milk powder and baby food increased. But subsequent studies found that mother’s milk is mandatory for the child’s lifetime protect. Then, desi ghee and mustard oil were described as harmful, so that sales of various types of vegetables increased. Later, such studies proved to be meaningless. Then it has also been very controversial to ban cannabis, cannabis, etc. to increase liquor lobby worldwide.
Apart from this, there have been many studies on the harmful effects on the health of junk food or box-packed food in India, especially in large quantities of preorvators and sugar, fat and other spices. But the government has not received any special instruction in that case. In many cases, it has been observed that such warnings have an impact on small khoomche people or somehow living or small businessmen or traditional professions. Therefore, questions are being raised on the current warning of the Ministry of Health.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government will not implement any such instruction (Samosa and Jalebi Wala). Mamta said, “Samosas and Jalebi are equally popular not only in Bengal but also in the rest of the states. It is better if people are not stuck in people’s food habits.
This issue is trending on social media. People are asking that Indian dishes are being described as a threat to health, but no advisory of any kind is being issued regarding foreign dishes including pizza, burgers, chinese, Italian.
According to the Ministry of Health, by 2050, about 45 crore people in the country can struggle with obesity or overweight. The graph of obesity, diabetes and heart diseases is increasing rapidly in the country. The biggest reason for this is poor catering and less physical hard work. In view of this, the government has decided to install health warning boards at the sold places like Samosa, Jalebi, Vada Pav. Many health messages are also given in the advisory, such as promoting healthy miles with fruits, vegetables and low fat options, suggestions to adopt physical activity, encourage the use of stairs, organize small brakes for exercise and make walking ways. This initiative is in the major initiatives of the Ministry under the National Program for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases.
Such instructions have been issued earlier also. In May this year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had directed to set up sugar boards in more than 24,000 schools across the country. On these boards, how much sugar should be eaten on a day, how much sugar is in normal things, there will be essential information like better choice of healthy food.
It is worth noting that all the studies conducted about the ill effects of messy diet and its health have been constantly expressing concern that the consumption of junk food has increased rapidly in the last decade. It not only increases obesity, but due to this, people are also becoming victims of high sugar, blood pressure and heart diseases. Due to junk food, the risk of increasing obesity in children is increasing. Therefore, health is necessary, but decisions should be taken wisely.
“Samosa and Jalebi are eaten with great fervor not only in Bengal but also in other states. It is better if people do not have a leg in the habits of eating habits’
Mamta Banerjee, Chief Minister, West Bengal
