Not just fish, contaminated fruit also causes cancer: Goa Minister
Panaji, July 14 : Under fire for his alleged support to a trader of carcinogenic formalin-laced fish from neighbouring states, Goa Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai on Saturday said not just fish but eating contaminated fruit also causes cancer.
Sardesai also told a press conference that the coastal state, a popular seafood destination, may ban bringing fish from outside the state in future if the consignments again test positive for formalin content.
"Suppose this happens again, we should ban fish coming from outside the state, I am of the view. There are four states which have taken a view on this -- Assam, Kerala, Odisha and Maharashtra. Now in the fish ban period, fish is only coming from the eastern coast. So I'm taking a stand that suppose such an incident happens again, we should ban it," Sardesai said.
On Friday, after conducting field raids at the Margao and Panaji fish markets, Food Drug Administration officials confirmed the presence of formalin or formaldehyde, a chemical used as a disinfectant to preserve dead bodies, in fish consignments brought from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The officials had sealed the fish consignments, which contained traces of formalin, but a tweet by Sardesai giving a clean chit to the importer and a subsequent laboratory report by FDA claiming that the formalin content was within permissible limits, has caused outrage.
Sardesai also said, that he was aware of the perils of carcinogenic agents, adding that his sister had died of cancer.
"That why we are talking about safe food for vegetarians also... My sister has died of cancer, remember this. When we have gone into the depth of it, we feel that it is the consumption of fruits that is the cause of cancer," Sardesai said.
"My father was a scientist. He's a PhD and he's also a rationalist. He's gone deep into it. She used to only eat small fish like verli (silver fish) and not big pomfrets or kingfish. I am a person who is a victim of his contamination of food. So I am not going to defend anybody," Sardesai also said.
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US Election Results 2024: Donald Trump claims election victory, says God spared my life for a reason
Washington DC: Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is on the verge of a landslide victory in the 2024 US election, as he leads with 267 electoral college votes, just three short of the required 270 to secure the presidency. In a triumphant speech, the 78-year-old thanked his supporters, calling the win a "magnificent victory for the American people."
Trump, who survived an assassination attempt earlier this year, remarked, "God spared my life for a reason," attributing his survival to this political moment. He described the Republican campaign as the "greatest political movement of all time," vowing to "help the country heal" and address key issues like border security.
Kamala Harris, the incumbent Vice President and Trump’s main opponent, currently trails with 214 electoral votes. Trump's victory has been bolstered by Republican success in battleground states, flipping seven swing states that had largely supported Democrats in 2020. So far, Trump has secured Georgia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, while leading in Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Nevada.
In addition to the presidency, Republicans are also on course to secure control of the Senate and are leading in the race for the House of Representatives, further cementing the party's dominance in the US political landscape.
Trump concluded his speech by thanking his running mate JD Vance, his family, and high-profile supporters like Elon Musk for their backing during the challenging campaign.
