India's remaining diplomats 'clearly on notice': Canada's foreign minister
Toronto (PTI): Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly on Friday said the remaining Indian diplomats in the country are “clearly on notice” after Canada named the Indian High Commissioner in Ottawa as a person of interest in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader.
Joly said the government would not tolerate any diplomats who contravene the Vienna Convention or put the lives of Canadians at risk.
India expelled six Canadian diplomats on Monday and announced that it was withdrawing its High Commissioner in Canada after dismissing Ottawa's allegations linking the envoy to the probe into the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Canada, however, said it had expelled six Indian diplomats.
Joly, comparing India to Russia, said Canada's national police force has linked Indian diplomats to homicides, death threats and intimidation in Canada.
“We've never seen that in our history. That level of transnational repression cannot happen on Canadian soil. We've seen it elsewhere in Europe. Russia has done that in Germany and the UK and we needed to stand firm on this issue," she said in Montreal.
Asked if other Indian diplomats will be expelled, Joly said: “They are clearly on notice. Six of them have been expelled including the high commissioner in Ottawa. Others were mainly from Toronto and Vancouver and clearly, we won't tolerate any diplomats that are in contravention of the Vienna convention.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police went public this week with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information about them with their government back home.
Calling out the notorious Bishnoi crime gang, the RCMP said top Indian officials were passing information about Sikh separatists to Indian organised crime groups who were targeting the activists.
The relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Prime Minister Trudeau's allegations in September last year of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia.
India has rejected the Canadian accusations as absurd and politically motivated.
India has repeatedly criticised Trudeau's government for being soft on supporters of the Khalistan movement who live in Canada.
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Bihar govt to engage scientists to curb arsenic concentration in leafy, root vegetables
Patna (PTI): The Bihar government has decided to involve scientists and officials of various departments to tackle rising arsenic levels in leafy and root vegetables in some districts, officials said on Sunday.
The state government is also planning to launch an awareness campaign for farmers in affected areas to inform them about measures being taken by the government, Agriculture Minister Ram Kripal Yadav told PTI.
“There is no doubt that arsenic-contaminated groundwater has led to higher concentrations in leafy vegetables, root vegetables including potatoes, and other agricultural produce in certain parts of the state. It is a matter of serious concern,” Yadav said.
He said that scientists and officials from the Public Health and Engineering (PHED), Health, and Minor Water Resources departments will be engaged to curb arsenic concentration in vegetables.
According to Bihar Agriculture Department officials, arsenic concentration has been recorded at 0.1 mg per kg in leafy vegetables, 0.3 mg per kg in root vegetables including potatoes, and 1.0 mg per kg in paddy crops.
Bihar PHED Minister Sanjay Kumar Singh had recently told the state assembly that arsenic was detected in groundwater in 14 districts, fluoride in 11 districts, and iron in 12 districts.
He said in some areas, nitrate levels also exceeded prescribed standards, prompting the marking of hand pumps with red paint to warn residents against using the water for drinking purposes.
Singh told PTI that the state government is providing safe drinking water under the ‘Har Ghar Nal ka Jal’ scheme, and planning alternative measures to supply safe water to farmers for agriculture.
Regular water quality tests are being conducted, and toll-free and WhatsApp numbers have been issued to address complaints related to drinking water supply.
“The permissible limit of arsenic is 0.01 mg per litre and fluoride 1.0 mg per litre. Exceeding these limits can cause health issues like bone fluorosis and tooth decay. Arsenic purification equipment has been installed in 4,709 wards to ensure safe water,” Singh added.
