Healthy snacks pip biscuits in health ministry

NEW DELHI: The Union fitness ministry has decided to undertake healthful eating practices, and so, from now onwards, all departments below the ministry will prevent serving biscuits at workplace conferences and replace them with walnuts, almonds, dates, roasted gram, and hiya chana —a composition of puffed rice and roasted gram. In a recent circular, the ministry said that beginning immediately, “biscuits shall not be distributed through the departmental canteen,” and best “wholesome snacks,” like roasted grams and the dry result, might be served at conferences. It brought, “The order issued earlier by the administrative division to no longer use plastic water bottles shall additionally be carried out in letter and spirit.” Union health minister Harsh Vardhan, who’s a qualified doctor, has authorized the decision.

Walnuts and almonds offer healthy fats, fiber, nutrients, minerals and are terrific resources of antioxidants. Dates have emerged as greater popular in current years, and these are excessive in calories because they’re dried fruit. The round has proved to be popular among officers and staff, and it is was hoping that different ministries will follow the instance. “The health ministry’s selection to forestall using unmarried-use plastic water bottle has ended up the template for plenty of different ministries. Glass jars and recycled paper glasses are actually being utilized in meetings. Now, other ministries can also observe what the fitness ministry has performed in serving snacks,” stated a reliable posted at Nirman Bhavan, which homes the fitness ministry. The fitness ministry’s reiteration of the whole ban on using water in unmarried-use plastic bottles comes 8 months after it issued an order to put off what’s considered a key supply of pollutants all through meetings and meetings. The selection to stop the use of plastic bottles changed into taken in July remaining year after India hosted World Environment Day celebrations.

NEW DELHI:

Home minister Amit Shah informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that Article 370, which presents for unique repute to J&K, is “transient in nature” and “now not everlasting” in what changed into an unambiguous articulation of BJP’s resentment of the constitutional scheme, which it has held answerable for the growth of separatism inside the touchy kingdom. “This is transient, no longer everlasting. Either you have forgotten this or have chosen to gloss over the truth that Article 370 is a transient provision of the Constitution. Do remember this and also that Sheikh Abdullah (the late founding father of the National Conference and the tallest leader of the state) had concurred with the arrangement,” Shah advised Hasnain Masoodi, the Lok Sabha member from Anantnag in J&K who represents NC.

This turned into arguably the primary time that a domestic minister had unambiguously said on the floor of Parliament that Article 370 turned into now not sacrosanct, and is certain to heighten hypothesis about the steps the Modi authorities may take to tackle the twin challenges of terrorism and secessionism in the Valley. Political circles have been thick with anticipation of bold measures regarding a sparkling delimitation of constituencies in J&K and the stand that the Centre may absorb Supreme Court vis-à-vis Article 35A, which places curbs on ownership of assets on non-citizens of the country. Shah was taking part in the discussion on bills seeking an extension of the President’s rule in J&K for some other six months beginning on July 3 and extending reservation to human beings residing along the global border. The Lok Sabha cleared each bill through voice vote.

In a tough-hitting speech, Shah blamed secessionism in J&K and the lack of one-1/3 of the state to Pakistan in 1948 on the first PM Jawaharlal Nehru policy. He also criticized the failure of preceding governments to prohibit even self-avowedly hardline and secessionist corporations like Jamaat-i-Islami and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. BJP has been campaigning for the repeal of Article 370 and Article 35A, which places J&K on a separate footing than other states. Its pledge to do away with the twin provisions in its manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections set it apart from Congress and others; the evaluation is one of the marketing campaign’s predominant themes.

Shah is confused that the celebration will not dial back at the ballot pledge after its victory. “The technique of our Prime Minister and the authorities have not changed, nor will it ever change. It is what it usually changed into and shall remain so,” he said. In his speech, the home minister also spoke approximately his authorities’ plan to win over the humans’ self-belief by way of sticking to the “in Saadiyat, jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat (humanity, democracy, and the Kashmiri spirit of tolerance and inclusion) template mentioned through the past due to Atal Bihari Vajpayee while he turned into PM. He spoke approximately the implementation of presidency schemes, inclusive of construction of houses and provision of Ujjwala, to help human beings in J&K. Shah said the authorities had sought to sell democracy through maintaining panchayat elections, recalling that assembly polls held throughout Vajpayee’s tenure have been loose and honest.