Store nation's urine, end urea import: Gadkari's brainwave
Nagpur, Mar 4: Lamenting that his out-of-box proposals often find no takers, Union minister Nitin Gadkari Sunday voiced another such idea: make urea from urine.
If it is done, India will not need to import fertiliser, he claimed, addressing a gathering of young innovators at the Mayor Innovation Awards function of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
Talking about importance of innovation, he gave the example of how bio-fuels can be extracted from natural waste.
Even human urine can be useful for making a bio-fuel and it can also yield ammonium sulfate and nitrogen, he said.
"I have asked for storage of urine at airports. We import urea, but if we start storing urine of entire country then we will not need to import urea, so much potential it has, and nothing will be wasted," the minister said.
"Other people do not cooperate with me because all my ideas are fantastic," the minister, known for his outspoken ways, said.
"Even the (municipal) corporation will not help, because in government, people are trained to be like (blinkered) bulls who walk in the rut, not looking here and there," he said.
Some years ago, Gadkari had created a flutter by saying that he stored his own urine and used it as fertiliser for the garden at his official bungalow in Delhi.
Speaking at the function, he also gave the example of use of amino acid extracted from human hair waste, which can be used as a fertiliser.
It boosted production at his farms by 25 per cent, he claimed.
Because he could not get adequate hair in Nagpur, he had to purchase "five trucks of hair" from Tirupati (where devotees shave their head which are later sold) every month, Gadkari said.
"We are selling amino acid abroad and have order of about 180 containers of bio-fertiliser from the Dubai government," the Union minister, who controls Purti Group of Industries, said.
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Vande Bharat passenger finds live worms in packaged curd; vendor fined, contract terminated
New Delhi (PTI): The Railways has terminated the contract of a vendor after a passenger found worms in a packaged curd served to him on the Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on the company.
The Railway Ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on its own company, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), for not handling the matter properly.
On March 15, a group of seven passengers on board the Vande Bharat train were served packaged curd of a known brand along with dinner. Upon opening one of the packets, they found live worms and insects inside. The passenger, Ritesh Singh, immediately flagged the issue on his X handle, tagging the IRCTC, the Railway Minister and others.
In its incident-cum-action taken report, IRCTC found that the curd packet was picked up from Patna, with a manufacturing date of March 9, 2026 and an expiry date of April 7, 2026.
The report stated that the officials apologised to the passengers and served them dry fruit mixtures and some sweet treats.
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"We tried to explain the situation to them in every possible manner and requested them to verify the matter at the spot. However, they refused to delete the tweet and expressed their intention that the video should go viral and trend,” the report said.
According to the report, the vendor, Krishna Enterprises, was fined Rs 25,000 and warned for negligence in food handling. The firm was also instructed to maintain a proper cold chain, be more vigilant and adhere to food safety protocols.
Dissatisfied with the IRCTC’s action, the Railway Ministry on Wednesday directed it to terminate the contract of Krishna Enterprises and enhance the fine from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50 lakh.
The ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC.
"Considering the gravity of the lapses, the competent authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC for such deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services so as to prevent any such incident in future," the Ministry said in its order.
"All concerned IRCTC supervisors must be directed to ensure that food quality, food safety and hygiene are their prime concerns," it added.
The ministry also posted the matter on its X handle, stating, "The complaint regarding food quality raised by a passenger in train number 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on 15 March, 2026 has been taken seriously.”
“Action taken - IRCTC has been penalised Rs 10 lakh, the service provider has been penalised with Rs 50 lakh, and has been ordered to terminate the contract. Passenger safety and quality remain our top priority,” the post read.
