New Delhi: It does not get more basic than salt. The govt has banned the sale of on non-iodised salt. That is because India is suffering from a huge iodine deficiency.
So next time the grocer will only offer iodine-rich salt by law. The ban on non-iodised salt comes into effect across the country from Wednesday.
Health officials hope the move will help curb incidents of iodine deficiency.
Research Officer Iodine Deficiency Diseases RL Mathur said, "Nearly 200 million people are at risk of iodine deficiency disorder in our country. The ban is a repetition, we didn't have the ban in between five years, and we had the ban in 97".
"We had to withdraw after a year or so, because the previous govt wanted that it be left to the choice of the people," he added.
The earlier ban was lifted in 2000. But three years ago, a survey of 20 states by the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad found iodine deficiency rampant in all these states.
Dr S Chatterjee, Internal Medicine of Apollo Hospital said, "They can affect quite a few organs, they can have mental retardation, growth or intellectual capabilities are not the same".
"Their growth is stunted and metabolism of fat and others are not taking place. Multiple systems are affected, affects your brain, affects your body, overweight, can affect general alertness," he added.
But non-iodised salt is still for sale for animal use, industrial use, preservation and iron fortification.
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