Eat carrots, food items rich in antioxidants: Health Minister amid Delhi air pollution
New Delhi, Nov 4: As the national capital continues to grapple with severe levels of air pollution, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took to Twitter to impart some advice on how to counter pollution-related problems.
Vardhan, who is a doctor by profession, suggested eating carrots and food items with high level of antioxidants to combat pollution-related health issues.
In a tweet on Monday, Vardhan said oxidative stress triggered by various pollutants has serious negative effects on human health.
"One positive action is to include food items with high level of antioxidants that can neutralise this. Of course, the solution lies in exposure prevention and control," he said.
On Sunday, he had tweeted, "Eating carrots helps the body get Vitamin A, potassium and antioxidants which protect against night blindness common in India. Carrots also help against other pollution-related harm to health."
Pollution level in Delhi peaked to a three-year high on Sunday notwithstanding claims of heightened checks and curbs by authorities.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 494 at 4 pm on Sunday, the highest since November 6, 2016 when it was 497.
All schools up to Class 12 have been closed in the National Capital Region till Tuesday due to the spike in pollution level.
The Delhi government also issued a health advisory and asked people to avoid outdoor activities as much as possible, especially during the morning and late evening hours and keep activity levels low.
The advisory said the air pollution might cause respiratory problems in healthy people on a prolonged exposure and pronounced respiratory or other serious illnesses for the vulnerable population even on a short exposure.
"The general public is, therefore, advised to avoid outdoor physical activities, especially during morning and late evening hours," it stated.
The dos and don'ts asked people to remain indoors and reschedule their outdoor activities, consult doctors in case of breathlessness, giddiness, cough, chest discomfort or pain and irritation in the eyes.
Using N95 masks, avoiding heavy traffic and polluted areas, keeping doors and windows closed in the morning and late evening were also advised by the government.
It also asked people to use public transport, avoid driving two-wheelers and other vehicles, and stop smoking.
#EatRightIndia_35
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) November 4, 2019
Oxidative stress triggered by various pollutants has serious negative effects on human health.
One positive action is to include food items with high level of Antioxidants that can neutralise this.
Of course, the solution lies in exposure prevention & control. pic.twitter.com/Uu3FvAwtX3
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Speaker rules out discussion on Guv''s conduct amid K''taka Assembly standoff
Bengaluru (PTI): In an effort to end the logjam over the Governor's address that has stalled proceedings for the past week, Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader on Wednesday ruled that legislators should not discuss Thaawarchand Gehlot or his conduct in the house, saying such debates send the wrong message to the public.
The House has witnessed repeated disruptions and adjournments since the session began on January 22 over the issue of the governor's conduct.
During his address to the joint sitting of the Karnataka legislature on January 22, Gehlot read out only three sentences from the 122-paragraph speech prepared by the state government.
The speech included criticism of the Centre for replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), portions of which the governor declined to read.
Concluding his address in about two minutes, the governor left the house, triggering a commotion as Congress legislators attempted to gherao him and raised slogans.
While the opposition BJP accused the ruling Congress and its ministers of "insulting" the governor and demanded action, the treasury benches countered by claiming the governor had "insulted the National Anthem by leaving before it was played."
The house again witnessed heated arguments on the issue earlier in the day, leading to adjournment.
During the interruption, Khader held a meeting with ministers and opposition members to resolve the impasse.
When proceedings resumed, the speaker delivered his ruling.
Referring to the events of January 22 and the subsequent debate, Khader said the conduct and discussions had conveyed the wrong message to the public.
"Our conduct as members of this House and the opinions expressed must be in good taste and in accordance with constitutional provisions. They must uphold the dignity of the House and its members. We must introspect in this direction," he said.
He stressed the need for caution to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future.
"Let us end this matter here, continue the discussion on the motion of thanks to the governor, and refrain from discussing the governor or his conduct in this house," the speaker said.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said the house should express regret over what he termed an "insult" to the governor.
Responding, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the situation would not have arisen had the governor read out the entire address.
"Asking the house to express regret is not appropriate. Why did the governor leave even before the National Anthem was played," Siddaramaiah asked.
BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar reminded Siddaramaiah that as Leader of the Opposition in 2011, he had asked then Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj to curtail his address.
Bhardwaj had subsequently placed the address on the table of the house, requesting members to treat it as read.
Siddaramaiah said the situation in January 2011 was different from the present one.
The debate grew intense, leading to another adjournment of the house.
