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Archives for August 2024

Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: UP court sets Sep 5 as next date of hearing

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Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: UP court sets Sep 5 as next date of hearing
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Sultanpur (UP): The MP-MLA court in Sultanpur on Friday could not hear a defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over a 2018 incident as the plaintiff could not appear citing ill health, his lawyer said.

The court has now fixed September 5 as the next date for hearing in the case, plaintiff Vijay Mishra’s lawyer Santosh Kumar Pandey said.

“Mishra did not appear in the court today due to ill health. An application was given to the court seeking time to present evidence, which was accepted and the MP-MLA court has given the date of September 5 for next hearing.

“On this date, the plaintiff will have to present evidence in the court through the lawyer,” Pandey said.

Gandhi’s lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla said plaintiff Mishra did not appear in the court for evidence due to ill health. Now the court has fixed the date of September 5 for hearing, he added.

During the Karnataka elections in 2018, Gandhi allegedly made objectionable remarks against senior BJP leader Amit Shah. In August 2018, Mishra, a local BJP leader and former cooperative chairman, had filed a complaint in the court leading to the defamation case.

Gandhi surrendered in the court on February 20, 2024 during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’. He got bail on two personal bonds of Rs 25,000 each, after which he was called to record his statement by issuing notices several times by the court.

During the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi could not reach the court citing poll engagements. Subsequently, the court ordered him in a strict tone to appear.

On July 26, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha came to the Sultanpur court and recorded his statement.

In this case, the hearing was to be held on August 12 on the basis of evidence, but the hearing could not be held as the judge of the MP-MLA court was on leave.

Karnataka govt recommends safety measures for doctors post Kolkata incident

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Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday suggested a slew of measures to be adopted to ensure the safety and security of doctors working in hospitals across the state.

A meeting chaired by Minister for Medical Education Sharanprakash Patil discussed safety measures for doctors, nurses and hospital staff. Members of the doctors’ association were asked to draft a document so that the Department of Medical Education can prepare a standard advisory. After the recent rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata, which has shocked the entire nation, the safety profile for the working doctors has once again been reviewed, the Director of Medical Education Dr Shobha Rathod said.

“On the instructions of our minister, we have held a meeting with all the directors of the government institutes and the super specialty hospitals to identify the gaps in the safety profile for our working doctors.

According to DME, there are 71 medical colleges including 22 government medical colleges under the Department of Medical Education. Apart from them, there are nursing and paramedical institutes in the state. During the meet, the department also reviewed the safety lapses. Following the Nirbhaya advisory, the department has been insisting that there are no dark corridors anywhere and all the places should be well lit, Rathod said adding that CCTV cameras should be installed in most of the areas.

“The security personnel are the ones who can walk anywhere with the consent in all the areas of the institute, so whether we have a good background check of all these people whom we take under security and housekeeping, that was one issue.”

All the institutes have the Prevention of Sexual Harassment committees, which can also suggest a precautionary measure so that if there is any such incident then an alert can be sounded. Rathod said the POSH committees have been regularly conducting meeting to make sure that there are no incidents of harassment of women. The department is also using Artificial Intelligence for the safety of each doctor. Self-defence training of the doctors and counseling of medical professionals regarding their stress levels were also discussed, she explained.

“We are also encouraging pink boxes so that in case of unbiased complaints, the administration can look into it,” Dr Rathod said.

“Introducing of ‘code white’ system. – If there is something called a code white, which we have already seen, it being worked out in our Indian Institute of nephro-urology, that will make all of them alert, how quickly we can be alerted if there is an untoward incident which is happening,” she added.

Top Indian race walker Bhawna handed 16-month ban for ”whereabouts failure” by NADA panel

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Top Indian race walker Bhawna Jat has been handed a 16-month ban for whereabouts failure by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary (ADDP) Panel of the NADA after she committed the offence in August last year.

Bhawna, a former national record holder in women’s 20km race walk, was provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency in August last year and she was recalled from Budapest where she had reached to take part in the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Her 16-month ban period will, however, begin from August 10, 2023, the date of provisional suspension. Her ban will thus be over on December 10 this year.

The ADDP’s decision to hand her the suspension under Article 2.4 of the NADA Rules was delivered on July 10 but it was published on the website of the national anti-doping watchdog only on Thursday.

Under Article 2.4, “Any combination of three (3) missed tests and/or filing failures, as defined in the International Standard for Results Management, within a twelve (12) month period by an Athlete in a Registered Testing Pool” constitutes ‘Whereabouts Failures’ by an athlete.

The 28-year-old Bhawna had also missed two dope tests in May and June 2023 and was warned for a filing failure in late 2022.

Jat had then blamed her failure to fulfil NADA’s whereabouts conditions to glitches in the mobile application, through which she had to fill up the form, and subsequently losing her phone.

“I don’t know how this happened. I had gone somewhere. I was not able to receive the OTP on the (mobile) application and later I lost my phone as well. This is the reason I wasn’t able to update my whereabouts,” she had said.

Bhawna had competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She had won gold in the 20km race-walk event at the National Inter-State Championships in June last year.

There are two types of whereabouts failures — filing failures and missed tests.

Under the World Athletics Anti-Doping (WADA) rules, any combination of whereabouts failures — filing failure and/or missed test — within a period of 12 months constitute an anti-doping rule violation, for which the applicable sanction is two years ineligibility, subject to reduction to a minimum of one year depending on the degree of fault of the athlete.

Athletes included in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) must provide a full address for their overnight location, the name and full address of each location where they train, work or conduct other regular scheduled activities, as well as the usual time-frames of each activity.

RTP athletes must also identify a 60-minute window and location for each day of the quarter, during which they must be available for testing. Failure to comply with whereabouts and testing obligations will result in a whereabouts failure.

Biggest diamond in over a century is found in Botswana whopping 2,492 carats

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Gaborone (Botswana): The largest diamond found in more than a century has been unearthed at a mine in Botswana, and the country’s president showed off the fist-sized stone to the world at a viewing ceremony on Thursday.

The Botswana government says the huge 2,492-carat stone is the second-biggest ever discovered in a mine. It’s the biggest diamond found since 1905.The as-yet-unnamed diamond was presented to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi. It weighs approximately half a kilogram and Masisi was one of the first to get to hold it.

Officials said it was too early to value it or decide how it would be sold. Another smaller diamond from the same mine in Botswana was sold for USD 63 million in 2016, a record for a rough gem.

“This is history in the making,” said Naseem Lahri, the Botswana managing director for Lucara Diamond Corp., the Canadian mining company that found the diamond. “I am very proud. It is a product of Botswana.”

Lucara said in a statement Wednesday that it recovered the “exceptional” rough diamond from its Karowe Mine in central Botswana. Lucara said it was a “high-quality” stone and was found intact. It was located using X-ray technology designed to find large diamonds.

“We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond,” Lucara President and CEO William Lamb said in a statement.

The weight would make it the largest diamond found in 119 years and the second-largest ever dug out of a mine after the Cullinan Diamond that was discovered in South Africa in 1905. The famous Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.

A bigger, less pure black diamond was discovered in Brazil in the late 1800s, but it was found above ground and was believed to have been part of a meteorite.

Botswana, a country of 2.6 million people in southern Africa, is the second-biggest producer of natural diamonds behind Russia and has unearthed all of the world’s biggest stones in recent years. The Karowe Mine has produced four other diamonds over 1,000 carats in the last decade.

Before this discovery, the Sewelo diamond, which was found at the Karowe Mine in 2019, was recognised as the second-biggest mined diamond in the world at 1,758 carats. It was bought by French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.

The 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, also from Botswana’s Karowe Mine, was bought by a British jeweller for USD 53 million in 2017. Another diamond from Karowe, The Constellation, was sold for the record $63 million.

Diamonds are formed when carbon atoms are squeezed together under high pressure deep underground. Scientists say most diamonds are at least a billion years old and some of them more than 3 billion years old.

Ukraine, Russia should sit together to end war: PM Modi in Kyiv

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Ukraine, Russia should sit together to end war: PM Modi in Kyiv
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv

Kyiv: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday conveyed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the ongoing war and that India was ready to play an “active role” to restore peace in the region.

In his talks with Zelenskyy in Kyiv that came a day ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day, the prime minister said India was on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict and he would even like to contribute personally for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

Modi’s nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine, the first by an Indian prime minister since its independence in 1991, came six weeks after he held summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin that triggered anguish in some Western countries.

The prime minister reiterated the need for “sincere and practical” engagement between all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will have “broad acceptability” and contribute towards early restoration of peace in Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

“I have come with a message of peace..I want to assure you and the entire global community that India is committed to respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity (of states) and it is of utmost importance to us,” Modi told Zelenskyy at the talks.

The prime minister also asserted India’s strong commitment towards respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

“I want to assure you and the entire global community that India is committed towards respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity (of states) and it is of utmost importance to us,” he said.

Modi arrived in Kyiv following a nearly 10-hour train journey from Poland in the second leg of his two-nation trip.

Modi’s wide-ranging talks with Zelenskyy primarily focused on ways to end the war and boost bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, defence, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and education.

“We (India) are not neutral. From the very beginning, we have taken sides. And we have chosen the side of peace. We have come from the land of Buddha where there is no place for war; we have come from the land of Mahatma Gandhi who had given a message of peace to the entire world,” Modi said.

The prime minister also apprised Zelenskyy of his message to Putin in Samarkand in September 2022 as well as in Moscow last month.

“Some time back, when I met President Putin in Samarkand, I had told him that this was not the era of war. Last month when I went to Russia, I said in clear words that the solution to any problem is never found on the battlefield,” Modi said.

“The solution comes through talks, dialogue and diplomacy and we should move ahead in that direction without wasting time.

Both sides should sit together and find ways to come out of this crisis,” Modi said.

Following the talks, Zelenskyy said India supports Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and it is “critical because everyone in the world must equally respect the UN Charter.”

“Following the visit, we also agreed on a joint statement focusing on the development of a strategic partnership, bilateral trade, and continued military-technical cooperation,” he said.

Zelenskyy said “history was made” today as the Indian prime minister made the first visit to Ukraine since “our independence, on the eve of our Independence Day.”

In a post on ‘X’, Modi described his talks with Zelenskyy as “productive” and said India “firmly” believes that peace must always prevail.

At a media briefing, Jaishankar said Modi conveyed to Zelenskyy India’s willingness to contribute in “all possible ways” to facilitate an early return of peace to Ukraine, he said.

“We are very, very keen that this conflict should come to an end,” the external affairs minister said.

It was a “very detailed, open and in many ways constructive discussion”, he said.

The talks revolved around to some extent on the military situation, on concerns like food and energy security, and on “conceivable pathways to peace”, Jaishankar said.

“It is India’s view that the two sides (Ukraine and Russia) need to engage with each other to find a solution,” he said, adding the talks revolved around the military situation, on concerns like food and energy security, and on “conceivable pathways to peace”.

The external affairs minister also defended India’s procurement of crude oil from Russia.

“India is a big oil consumer, it is a big oil importer..It is not like there is a political strategy to buy oil, there is an oil strategy to buy oil, there is a market strategy to buy oil,” Jaishankar said.

A joint statement released after the talks said Modi and Zelenskyy reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

It said the Indian side reiterated its principled position and focus on peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, as a part of which, India has attended the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Switzerland in June.

The Ukrainian side welcomed such participation by India and highlighted the importance of high-level Indian participation in the next peace summit, it said.

In the talks the Ukrainian side conveyed that the joint communique on a peace framework, adopted at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, could serve as a basis for further efforts to promote just peace based on dialogue, diplomacy, and international law, the statement said.

The two leaders appreciated various efforts to ensure global food security, including the Ukrainian humanitarian grain initiative.

The importance of an uninterrupted and unhindered supply of agricultural products to global markets, especially in Asia and Africa, was emphasised in the talks.

In his remarks at the meeting, the prime minister conveyed to Zelenskyy that he has come to Kyiv also with a message of peace from the Global South. The Ukrainian side wanted continued involvement of India with the Global Peace summit, he said.

“It is India’s view that the two sides (Ukraine and Russia) need to engage with each other to find a solution,” he said.

The external affairs minister said the two leaders reiterated their readiness to continue cooperation to uphold principles of international law such as respect for territorial integrity and protect the sovereignty of states.

Jaishankar said the prime minister sought the president’s assessment of both the ground situation as well as the diplomatic scenario and Zelenskyy spoke on both issues.

The external affairs minister described Modi’s visit to Kyiv as a “landmark”

Jaishankar said a significant part of discussions between PM Modi and President Zelenskyy was devoted to the bilateral relations.

There were discussions on trade, economic issues, defence, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, education, he said.

Modi and Zelenskyy also tasked the India-Ukraine inter-governmental commission to specifically focus on rebuilding trade and economic relations.

Nepal bus tragedy: Air Force plane to bring bodies of Maharashtra pilgrims to Nashik on Saturday

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Mumbai/Jalgaon: An Indian Air Force plane will bring the bodies of the Maharashtra pilgrims killed in a bus accident in Nepal to Nashik on Saturday, officials have said.

Tragedy struck north Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Friday as at least 27 pilgrims from the region died after the tourist bus they were travelling in veered off the highway and fell into the fast-flowing Marsyangdi river in central Nepal.

The victims were from Varangaon, Daryapur, Talvel and Bhusaval in Jalgaon district, 470 km from Mumbai, officials said.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah who assured all possible help, they added.

An Indian Air Force plane will transport the bodies to Nashik on Saturday, said a state government release late on Friday evening.

The incident occurred in the Anbookhaireni area in Chitawan district of Nepal when the bus from Gorakhpur carrying 43 passengers, including the driver and two helpers, was heading towards Kathmandu from Pokhara.

While 16 people died on the spot, 11 succumbed to their injuries during treatment, Deputy Spokesperson of Armed Police Force (APF) Shailendra Thapa told PTI in Kathmandu.

Sixteen people who sustained injuries have been airlifted to Kathmandu and admitted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, he said.

The passengers were part of a group of 104 Indian pilgrims who arrived in Nepal from Maharashtra in three buses two days ago for a 10-day tour of the Himalayan nation, MyRepublica news portal reported.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condoled the deaths in a message on X.

State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil said the state government was in touch with the relief commissioner of Uttar Pradesh and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu.

Senior NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse said this group of pilgrims had travelled to Ayodhya four days ago.

Khadse, who hails from Jalgaon district said that he visited the families of the victims and survivors after learning about the tragedy.

Union minister Raksha Khadse, his daughter-in-law, will travel to Kathmandu as she had received permission from the PMO to oversee the return of the victims and survivors, he added.

The Maharashtra government identified 16 persons from Jalgaon as “reported deceased”.

Ramjeet alias Munna, Sarla Rane (42), Bharti Jawade (62), Tulshiram Tawade (62), Sarla Tawade (62), Sandeep Sarode (45), Pallavi Sarode (43), Anup Sarode (22), Ganesh Bharambe (40), Nilima Dhande (57), Pankaj Bhangade (45), Pari Bharambe (8 years), Anita Patil, Vijaya Jhawade (50), Rohini Jhawade (51) and Prakash Kodi reportedly died in the accident, it said.

Shikhar Dhawan announces retirement says I am at peace

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Shikhar Dhawan announces retirement, says 'I am at peace'

New Delhi: Veteran India opener Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket two years after he last donned the national jersey, saying that he leaves the scene a content man after representing the country in all three formats.

The 38-year-old made his international debut in 2010 in an ODI against Australia in Visakhapatnam and his last India game was also a 50-over match, against Bangladesh in 2022.

“As I close this chapter of my cricketing journey, I carry with me countless memories and gratitude. Thank you for the love and support! Jai Hind!,” Dhawan said in a post on ‘X’.

“It’s important to turn the page to move forward in life and that’s why I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. As I bid goodbye to my cricket journey, I have peace in my heart that I played for so long,” he said.

A product of Sonnet Club and a fighter from West Delhi, Dhawan appeared in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is for India but had fallen out of favour in the last couple of years due to patchy form and emergence of younger opening talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

His best came in the 50-over format in which he amassed 6793 runs at an average of 44.11, including 17 hundreds and 39 fifties. He averaged 40.61 for his 2315 Test runs, which featured seven centuries.

“I am standing at a point in my life where when I look back, I see only memories, and when I look ahead, I see a new world. I had just one goal in life, to play for India, and I made it happen,” he said.

“I am very thankful to DDCA (Delhi and Districts Cricket Association), the BCCI and my fans. And that’s why I tell myself, don’t be sad that you won’t play for India again but be happy that you played for your country. And that’s the biggest thing for me, that I played,” he said in his concluding remarks in the social media post.

The Delhi-born batter didn’t enjoy a memorable beginning to his international career, getting dismissed for a two-ball duck.

However, after initial struggles, Dhawan returned to the Indian team in 2013 and cemented his place across all three formats with some fine performances including being named the Player-of-the-Tournament in India’s triumphant campaign in the Champions Trophy in England.

One of the highlights of his illustrious career was the brilliant 185 he scored against Australia on Test debut in Mohali, having raced to his century in just 85 balls with a flurry of boundaries.

Dhawan, however, could have been even out before he had faced a ball in his Test debut. The first delivery of the India innings slipped out of Mitchell Starc’s hand and fell on the stumps with the debutant out of his ground at the non-striker’s end.

The Australians did not appeal, and the flamboyant Dhawan took full advantage of that by setting the record for the fastest century by a Test debutant.

At his peak, the Delhi swashbuckler was a sight to behold with his range of strokes and ability to hit powerfully.

Dhawan did not forget to thank the people who helped in becoming the player that he was, forming en excellent partnership with Rohit Sharma at the top of the Indian batting order.

“I always had one goal in mind that was to play for India and I achieved it thanks to a lot of people. First of all my family, my childhood coach Tarak Sinha and Madan Sharma, under their guidance, I learnt cricket.

“Then my entire team with whom I played for years, got another family, fame and everyone’s love and support.”

“I just say this to myself that don’t be sad that you won’t play for your country again but always be happy that you played for your country. And it’s the biggest achievement for me that I played,” Dhawan added in the video.

He is a bonafide IPL legend, appearing in 222 matches, that yielded 6769 runs, including two hundreds and 51 half centuries.

His 768 fours in the tournament are the highest by any batter and he also holds the distinction of being the first to hit consecutive hundreds in the event.

He was a part of the title-winning Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the 2016 season. He has also played for Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab. Of these, he captained Delhi and Punjab at various stages of his career.

He had appeared for Punjab this season but played in only five matches owing to fitness issues.

Union Minister Kumaraswamy hails CPSEs for contributing to Chandrayaan-3 on Space Day

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Bengaluru : As the country celebrated its first ever National Space Day commemorating the soft landing of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface on Friday, Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy recalled the contributions of four Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) in making India’s lunar mission a success.

The union minister said these CPSEs under his ministry had proudly contributed to achieving the milestone.

“Four CPSEs under MHI—Instrumentation Ltd. (IL), FCRI, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), and Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT)—supplied essential products that were integral to the success of Chandrayaan-3,” Kumaraswamy said in a post on ‘X’.

He also said that the National Space Day celebration is a testament to the dedication and hard work of ISRO’s scientists and engineers, and the collaborative efforts of our nation’s industries.

On this day a year ago, India achieved a major feat in its Space programme when its Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on the south pole of the Moon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had named the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 as ‘Shiv-Shakti Point’ and declared August 23 as the National Space Day.

Neeraj finishes second in Lausanne Diamond League with season’s best 89.49m

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The 26-year-old Chopra was at fourth spot till the fourth round before sending his spear to 85.58m in his fifth attempt. He saved the best for the last as his sixth and final attempt measured 89.49m, which was better than his performance in the Paris Olympics.

He was in danger of missing the sixth throw but his fifth round effort of 85.58m saved him. Only the top three after five rounds get their respective final attempts.

Two-time world champion and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada won the event with his second round monster throw of 90.61m while Julian Weber of Germany took the third spot with 87.08m.

“The feeling wasn’t great at first, but I´m happy with my throw, especially the second (career) best throw on my last attempt. It was a tough start, but the comeback was really nice and I enjoyed the fighting spirit I showed,” Chopra said after the event.

“Even though my early throws were around 80-83m, I pushed hard in the last two attempts finishing strong. Competing at this high level, it’s important to stay mentally tough and fight through.”

Nursing a long-standing groin injury, Chopra claimed a silver in the Paris Olympics on August 8 with an 89.45m throw, having won a historic gold in the Tokyo edition of the Games three years ago.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem had beaten Chopra for the gold in Paris with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m.

Peters, who had struggled to find his form last year, led the competition from beginning to end and he stamped his class with the 90m-plus throw in the last round. He has a personal best of 93.07m which he had produced in 2022.

With seven points from Thursday’s second-place finish, Chopra will be on joint third spot with Weber on Diamond League standings with 15 points. Peters jumped to top spot with 21 points.

Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who finished seventh (82.03m) on Thursday, is in second spot with 16 points.

On Saturday, Chopra had confirmed his participation at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, leaving a decision on a possible surgery after the end of the season.

Chopra was the Diamond League champion in 2022 and finished second behind Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic in the winner-takes-all DL final in Eugene, USA, last year.

This season’s DL finals will be held in Brussels on September 14. He needs to finish in the top-six of the Diamond League meetings series standings to qualify for the season finale.

There is another DL meeting — in Zurich on September 5 — which has a men’s javelin throw event in its roster.

Chopra had won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League in 2022 and 2023, but could not do so this time. In fact, Chopra is yet to win a DL meeting this year. He finished second behind Vadlejch in Doha on May 10.

Chopra has been managing his groin injury since winning the gold in the Budapest World Championships last year.

FSSAI orders removal of A1, A2 milk claims from products

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New Delhi: Food safety regulator FSSAI on Thursday directed food businesses, including e-commerce players, to remove claims of ‘A1’ and ‘A2’ types of milk and milk products from packaging, calling such labelling misleading.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said these claims do not conform with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

In its latest order, FSSAI said it had examined the issue and found that A1 and A2 differentiation is linked to the structure of beta-casein protein in milk.

However, current FSSAI regulations do not recognize this differentiation.

“FBOs are instructed to remove such claims from their products,” the regulator said, referring to food business operators.

E-commerce platforms were also told to remove these claims from products and websites immediately.

Companies have been given six months to exhaust pre-printed labels, with no further extensions to be granted.

A1 and A2 milk differ in their beta-casein protein composition, which varies based on cow breed.

The regulator emphasized strict compliance with this directive.

Welcoming the order, Parag Milk Foods Chairman Devendra Shah said the FSSAI order is a step in the right direction.

“A1 and A2 is the category developed by marketing gimmick. …It’s essential that we eliminate misleading claims that can misinform consumers,” he said in a separate statement.

A1 or A2 milk product category never existed and globally also this trend is fading away, he said, and added that the FSSAI’s clarification supports this broader understanding.

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