US restricts import of areca leaf sheath dinnerware: PM Modi urged to intervene for lifting of curb
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Bengaluru: Experts from Karnataka, which is the largest arecanut producing state in the country, have expressed worry that the US restrictions on dinnerware made from areca leaf sheath will affect the prospects of the farmers and entrepreneurs and have requested an intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the matter.
Early May, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an import alert and restriction on biodegradable dinnerware made from areca nut leaf sheaths, including plates, cups, and related products. There were claims made that naturally occurring alkaloids in the areca leaf sheath may migrate into food and may pose health risks, reports The Hindu.
As this is expected to hit the prospects of areca farmers and entrepreneurs in areca-growing areas of the state, more than 100 scientists, medical experts and academicians wrote to the PM, asking him to convince the US to lift the restrictions.
Around 1,000 metric tonnes of areca leaf dinnerware have been exported from Karnataka, primarily to the US, as well as to Germany, the UK, Australia, Netherlands, and Canada in recent years. Currently, over 600 enthusiastic entrepreneurs and startups, along with thousands of skilled workers in Karnataka alone, are actively engaged in this eco-friendly sector, they have informed the PM.
With reference to the financial gains, they said that the rate for areca-based dinnerware currently stands at approximately Rs 3,500 crore in the global market. The price expected to double by 2030. India has emerged as a major player, contributing nearly Rs 2,500 crore, with Karnataka leading the country in the manufacturing of areca palm leaf tableware and dinnerware, they pointed out.
Opining that the restrictions were imposed based on ambiguous and unsubstantiated claims and alleging that the US government’s move was unjustifiable against a time-tested, eco-friendly product native to India, they said it reflected the Western world’s dominance in scientific and regulatory matters, along with moral hegemony.
The experts have written to the PM asking him to take urgent steps on both diplomatic and regulatory grounds to counter the unsubstantiated claims and ensure that the curbs are lifted. They also asked him to demand the US authorities to provide a definition for ‘acceptable alkaloid thresholds’ and to provide technical, regulatory, and other necessary support to Indian manufacturers to meet the standards agreeable to the markets.
Further, they appealed for a panel to conduct a research on the safety of arecanut consumption and the use of its by-products through premier institutions as a scientific approach will address the challenge effectively and also strengthen India’s position as a leader in sustainable, tradition-rooted enterprises.
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TMC MP Saket Gokhale slams Bihar electoral roll revision, claims 1.26 crore voters 'deleted'
New Delhi(PTI): Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Monday said 1.26 crore voters have been "deleted" from Bihar's electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and challenged the government to a debate on the issue in Parliament.
Sharing the Election Commission's SIR data in a post on X, Gokhale said the poll panel "conveniently" did not share any information regarding its claim of having found foreign nationals in Bihar.
As the month-long first phase of the SIR has concluded, the EC on Sunday said that enumeration forms from 7.24 crore or 91.69 per cent of voters of the state have been received.
It also said 36 lakh people were found to have either permanently shifted from their previous addresses or were not found. It pointed out that seven lakh Bihar voters were found to have enrolled themselves at multiple places.
"ECI has deleted 1.26 crore voters in Bihar from the 2024 Lok Sabha voter list overnight," Gokhale, the TMC Rajya Sabha MP, said on X.
Calling the details revealed by the EC "bizarre", Gokhale pointed out that of a total of 7.90 crore voters, forms have been collected from only 91.69 per cent -- 7.24 crore voters.
"This means that forms were not collected from 65 lakh voters, and they will be deleted. About 22 lakh voters (2.83 per cent) have been deleted because they're claimed to be deceased, about 36 lakh voters (4.59 per cent) have been deleted because they're claimed to be untraceable, and about 7 lakh voters (0.89 per cent) claimed to be found as duplicate entries so half i.e. 3.5 lakh entries deleted," he said.
"ECI has conveniently not disclosed how many voters were found to be non-citizens of India. This is important because ECI had claimed that the SIR was being done to 'remove illegal immigrants'," Gokhale said.
EC sources had earlier said their field-level functionaries found "a large number of people" from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar during house-to-house visits made for the ongoing intensive review of the voters' list in Bihar.
Gokhale further said the names "deleted" were on the voters' list in the last Lok Sabha polls.
"A total of 1.26 crore voters in Bihar, whose names were on the Lok Sabha 2024 voter list just one year ago, have been deleted from the new voter list," he said.
"To give you a comparable idea, the number of deleted voters in Bihar during the current SIR is equal to the entire combined population of Uttarakhand plus Himachal Pradesh or the entire combined population of all 6 states of the North-East (excluding Assam)," he said.
He said EC needed to answer some questions "urgently".
"The voter list was revised by ECI before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. How on earth did 1.26 crore voters become ineligible in just one year?" he said.
"How many voters has the ECI been unable to reach for collecting their forms? Under the rules of SIR, those whose forms were not collected will be deleted. Therefore, what is the total number of voters whose names have been deleted only because their forms were not collected?" he questioned.
He said the EC has not collected documents along with the forms from all 7.24 crore voters.
"Does this mean that more voters will be deleted if their documents have not been collected with their forms?"
He reiterated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement that the SIR exercise "is NRC by the back door".
"ECI had claimed 'removing foreigners from the voter list' as one of the reasons for conducting this SIR. Why has the ECI not disclosed how many actual 'foreigners' were found and deleted from the voter list during this SIR?" he said.
"It makes zero sense that 12 million people in Bihar have become 'ineligible' voters in just one year between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections till date... When 12 million people in a single state lose the right to vote overnight, it is a serious issue," he said.
He added that the opposition MPs have been pressing for a debate on the issue.
"Why is the Modi Govt so scared to have an open discussion on this in Parliament?" he added.
Meanwhile, the EC has asserted that no names will be deleted from draft rolls without following due process.
VERY IMPORTANT AND SHOCKING
— Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) July 28, 2025
ECI has deleted 1.26 CRORE voters in Bihar from the 2024 Lok Sabha voter list OVERNIGHT
Last night, the ECI published details of ongoing "special intensive revision" of the electoral roll being conducted in Bihar. The deadline for collection of forms… pic.twitter.com/E7x2egYfCw
