NEW DELHI: The Centre for Science and Environment on Tuesday criticised the Government's "clean chit" to soft drink multinational companies on the pesticide issue. Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss was more concerned with "industrial health and not with the people's health," it said.

In her reaction to Dr. Ramadoss' statement in Parliament and release of the expert committee's report, CSE director Sunita Narain said the Minister had rushed to give the cola companies a "clean chit." This "clearly shows his allegiance to their cause."

Quoting the findings of the committee, set up by the Ministry last month, Dr. Ramadoss had said there was no conclusive evidence on the presence of different pesticides in the concentration. "It is very unfortunate that the Minister has decided to toe the company line [Coca Cola]," Ms. Narain said. The "influence" was so obvious that it bordered on "shamelessness."

She accused the Government of batting for the cola companies. "We are not surprised. This is the same Ministry that had blocked the standards for carbonated beverages, which had been finalised by the Bureau of Indian Standards, from being notified. Even then the Ministry was working for the companies' interest."

Dubbing as "absurd" the statement made by Dr. Ramadoss in Parliament, she said the Minister had found a convenient ally in the Coca Cola's U.K. lab that rejected CSE's findings on the ground that did not provide confirmation of the identity of the pesticides.

The Government was rather putting the CSE under "the scanner" instead of investigating the issues raised by the non-governmental organisation. Once again, the two companies were getting away scot-free. "The Health Ministry has specialised in setting up committee after committee without any outcome... Even today, the Minister refused to tell the Parliament when his Ministry would issue the final standards," Ms. Narain said in a statement. — PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail