Banihal/Jammu, Oct 10 : A BJP candidate died of heart attack Wednesday when he was about to cast his vote in the second phase of the municipal elections in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Azad Singh Raju, 62, a former employee of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, died at a local polling station before casting his vote, they said.
He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Raju was among 24 candidates in the fray for the seven municipal bodies of Ramban district.
The second phase of the polling is in progress at 263 municipal wards spread across Jammu and Kashmir, including 214 wards, in six districts of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi, Udhampur and Kathua in Jammu region.
The polling started at 6 am and will end at 4 pm.
During the first two hours of the polling, the officials said Kathua district is leading the voter turnout chart with 17.2 per cent of 54,622 electorates exercising their democratic right.
It is followed by Reasi district which recorded a voter turnout of 16.6 per cent (10204 voters) followed by Kishtwar (15.3 per cent of 8830 voters), Doda (12.6 per cent of 13396 voters), Ramban (12.4 per cent of 5533 voters) and Udhampur (10.3 per cent of 35519 voters) till 8 am, the officials said.
Authorities have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peaceful polling which will seal the fate of 1,029 candidates.
A total of 544 polling stations, including 274 in Jammu and 270 in Kashmir, have been set up and are being guarded by police and paramilitary forces.
"The polling in Jammu region is going on smoothly and there was no untoward poll-related violence reported from anywhere," the officials said.
The first phase of the polling was held on October 8 after a gap of 13 years and registered a voter turnout of 56.6 per cent.
The third phase of the polling is scheduled for October 13 followed by fourth and final phase on October 16. The counting of votes will be held on October 20.
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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday issued a nutrition advisory recommending healthier food and beverage options at meetings, functions, and other official gatherings held in the state.
The advisory has been issued by the Department of Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services to promote healthy dietary and nutritional habits among officials and staff, noting that food, refreshments and beverages served in government offices and official programmes are "often not aligned with nutrition standards."
The advisory recommends serving snacks such as millet-based, low-fat and low-sugar foods, fresh fruits, vegetable salads, sprouts, roasted nuts and seeds during in-house office meetings and breaks.
Beverages such as green tea, low-fat buttermilk, and locally filtered or boiled water served in glass bottles or steel flasks have also been suggested.
According to the advisory, for larger government events, conferences and exhibitions, departments have been advised to include at least one millet-based item during snacks and a minimum of two millet dishes in meals, along with local cuisine and at least one regional recipe.
It also recommends the use of brown rice instead of white rice, freshly prepared vegetable salads, and fresh fruits or low-sugar fruit juices.
If non-vegetarian food is served, it should consist of well-cooked lean or white meat, the advisory stated.
In eateries operating within government office campuses, the department has recommended millet-based foods, fresh vegetable salads, boiled pulses such as horse gram or chickpeas, and low-fat beverages.
It suggests serving food using reusable metal plates and glasses.
The advisory also recommends avoiding microwave-heated food, industrially processed food, fried snacks, high-fat or heavily spiced dishes, carbonated drinks, high-sugar fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages.
It further discourages serving milk-based tea or coffee and plastic-bottled water during official events.
“Overall, hygiene and cleanliness should be maintained while serving food and water. Local cottage industries, self-help groups, prison kitchens, nutri-gardens and others should be preferred for placing food and beverage orders,” the advisory added.
