To All Karma Yogis

Representation on Compulsory Iodisation of Salt madness can still be made by
sending your brief letters to the following incharge person

Mr. M.K. Maiti
Director in the Ministry of Health
Room 529, A-Wing,
Nirman Bhavan
New Delhi 110001
dirmh@nb.nic.in

Also, send copies to following authorities:-
Health Minister and Health Secretary at : hfm@alpha.nic.in and hfm@nb.nic.in
Secretary PG Cell, Cabinet Secretariat, Govt of India : Secypg@ren02.nic.in
Speaker Lok Sabha : lokmail@sansad.nic.in

Prime Minister of India : pmosb@pmo.nic.in
Sonia Gandhi : 10janpath@vsnl.net
President of India : presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

Chief Justice, Supreme Court : supreme_court@hub.nic.in 
(because if we have to challenge the constitutional validity of the said interference of Govt.
in our private lives, then Supreme Court too can initiate suo motu action judging the public ire
and help us to prempt the Govt. action).
NHRC at jrlawnhrc@hub.nic.in (because it is a human rights issue too).

For guidance, I am reproducing below my letter culled from various sources and 
circulated extensively on 27th July.

Either Karma Yog or someone (technically knowledgeable) can host this representation online for people to sign the said petition if they agree. This will also help us keep a tab on the Govt.

Today, it is common salt. If we extend this Govt. intervention in our private lives, then tomorrow by the same logic, the Govt.  will tell you NOT to take Ayurvedic medicines (becauses of Bhasmas) or Homoeopathy (because they are time bombs), or Vitamins (because they are drugs).

Extending the same phoney logic, vegetarians suffering from "protein deficiency" can be forced to eat beef, pig, goat because it is rich in proteins and because the "scientific medicine" says it is necessary for growth!!! Or vaccinate your tiny tots with mercury-laced vaccinations leading to exponential growthin autism, cancers and AIDS and genetic mutations.

As Gandhiji said when he took out the Dandi March, Govt. has no power to tax the salt, becausesalt is free from the Oceans and it is the essence of life.  Today, it is the fundamental principles.The Right to Life, the Right to Health, the Right to Know, the Right to Redressal, the Right toNO impositions.

Therefore, stand up and shout against the compulsory iodisation of salt. 
In solidarity
Dr. Leo Rebello

Now read the following letter for better understanding. If necessary, the undersigned is ready to take out a Public Interest Litigation and one prominent film maker has offered to make a documentary on this important issue.

Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 12:33 PM
Subject: Do NOT sign the Govt. Notification No. GSR 340 (E) on Compulsory Iodisation of Salt

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
President of India

Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India

Smt. Sonia Gandhi
Chairperson, NAC

Minister / Secretary
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Secretary
Public Grievances Wing, Cabinet Secretariat
Govt of India

The Chief Justice
Supreme Court of India

The Chairman
National Human Right Commission

The Speaker
Lok Sabha, New Delhi

With copies to National and International Print and Electronic Media and prominent persons,
educationists, scientists and activists.

Dear Mr. President

Sub : Do NOT sign the Govt. Notification No. GSR 340 (E) on Compulsory Iodisation of Salt.

1.. Govt. Notification No. GSR 340 ( E) which becomes law on 15-8-2005 (and today - 27 July - is the last date for raising objections) is trying to push us one step into slavery on the Indian Independence Day.

2.. This ignorant law drafted by some corrupt minions without understanding its larger implications, inter alia, says :
"No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale the common salt for direct human consumption unless the same is iodised".

3.. Is this some kind of a joke? The above wording makes it seem worse that common salt, which we have used for centuries is worse than taking narcotic and psychotropic substances. At this rate tomorrow a stupid bureaucrat will pass a firman saying animal proteins are compulsory and even vegetarians vide notification no.420 (E) should eat them so that India becomes a strong nation. !!!:)

4.. Such a notification was sought to be introduced in Maharashtra in the early nineties and NGO Prakruti had filed a Writ Petition in the Bombay High Court which had stayed the operation of the said Maharashtra Govt. notification, which finally lapsed. Now the same corrupt business lobby is trying to bring in a notification at the national level and hereby we convey to our intention that we, the people, will NOT allow it.

5.. Right to Health equals Right to Life. Consequently, the Govt. has absolutely NO right to decide what I should eat, what medicines I take, what vitamins I should consume, because it is MY RIGHT and I am the best person to decide what is good for me or not. Govt. cannot walk all over me.

6.. If the Govt. cannot stop by law alcohol and tobacco misuse, how can it say only Iodised salt should be consumed? Like in America they make mercury-laced vaccinations compulsory, they give carcinogenic AZTs even to tiny tots ostensibly to save them, they add aspartame and MSG to all food items so that diseases can increase and pharma mafia can go in for a kill. This is an American madness which should NOT be imported to India along with the WTO rules and WB budgetary provisions.

FOR THE REASONS MENTIONED ABOVE AND WHAT IS RECORDED BELOW, WE STRONGLY OBJECT TO THE THE COMPULSORY IODISATION OF SALT.

7.. It is our right as consumers to decide whether we want to use it or not. Both should be available in the market and properly labelled to show the contents. Infact, Iodised salt should carry a compulsory warning in Bold Lettering that "Usage of Iodised Salt could lead to Thyrotoxicosis."

8.. Nowhere is iodised salt mandatory - not even in the decadent USA, nor in UK, Australia, Switzerland, Mauritius, Turkey , etc. In fact, Tasmania and Holland, had heavy increases in thyrotoxicosis when iodised salt was introduced and they discontinued the use of iodised salt.

9.. Another major matter for concern is that India is using a poison - Potassium Iodate instead of Potassium Iodide to iodise common salt. Studies in Australia have shown a high incidence of thyrotoxicosis with Potassium Iodate.

10. According to Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 27th Edition, June 1977, pg.823 -Iodine : Toxic Effects: Continued administration of iodine is known to lead to mental depression, nervousness, insomnia, impotence, myxoedema and goitre. Hypersensitivity to iodine (Iodism) may occur acutely or after prolonged administration and is characterised by coryza, headaches, pain in the salivary glands, lachrymation, weakness, conjunctivitis, fever, laryngitis, bronchitis, and skin reactions including ioderma, erythema, acneform eruptions, urticaria, suppurative and haemorrhagic rashes. Vomiting, metallic taste in the mouth, abdominal pain and diarrhoea are also known to occur. In extreme cases, death due to oedema of the glottis causing asphyxiation and pulmonary oedema are also recorded. Iodides in breast milk are suspected to cause hypothyroidism or goitre in infants. Iodine given to the mother is also known to cause Thrombocytopenia which is hazardous to the foetus.

11. It would be far better to create an awareness that milling and polishing of rice and other grains removes their iodine content. Cereals, millets, pulses, lentils, leafy vegetables, roots and spices, jaggery, nuts, fruits, milk and milk products, eggs, fish and even tap water contain iodine in its natural, absorbable form. So basically, what you need to advocate is a healthy, balanced diet and clean drinking water.

12. The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, Govt of India, has excellent studies on Iodine Content of Different Food stuffs, Loss of Iodine in Grain Milling and even Iodine Content of Regional Diets , which has shown that Andhra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra ,Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are much higher than the minimum required.

13. It is said that 2.5 % of the population suffers from cretinism because of iodine deficiency. However, does it make any sense to treat 98% of the population with compulsory iodine? Is it health or business decision?

14. And what about the large section of the 40 + population who tend to have Hyperthyroidism? As it is our Indian food includes items like pickles and preserves which have a very high salt content. So, it is quite likely that even those with normal thyroid functioning can be pushed into the hyperthyroid category with compulsory usage of iodised salt. Also, each individual has his / her own capacity to absorb/ not absorb iodine.

15. The Goitre control programme run by the Govt of India over the past two decades has been a miserable failure, with the incidence of goitre in Himachal Pradesh having increased from 20 % to 35 % and in the Punjab from 9 % to 45 %. In Bihar it went up from 40% to 64%, as per some studies. Why then is this failed programme being forced onto the entire nation?

16. Why are there such contrary results from the researches undertaken? Could the answer lie in the sponsorship of those researches?

17. Recently the Congress party (the party in power) celebrated the centenary of the Dandi March, in which Mahatma Gandhi galvanised the entire nation and fought the mighty Britishers for the right to take ordinary salt from the sea water. Now the same government is thinking of enforcing a ban on Common Salt? What an irony, what a tragedy, what a mischief?

18. A ban on non-iodised salt would take away from us even our right to the choice of what we eat. In the biggest and best democracy in the world, we the citizens are sensible enough to make our own choices. The government must immediately stop trying to usurp our rights and risk our health, for the benefit of vested interests.

SALT IN ITS NATURAL FORM IS OUR BIRTH-RIGHT.

For additional details please read my publications "Amrit Manthan", "Nature Cure and Yoga Therapy", "Aids and Alternative Medicine" and "Pen Power" as also see my websites : www.healthwisdom.org and www.aidsalternativa.org

Mr. President, we look forward to your word of assurance that you would NOT sign such black legislation trampling on our fundamental rights.

With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Leo Rebello
Director, Natural Health Centre
28/552 Samata Nagar, Kandivali East
Mumbai 400101.
Telefax (022): 28872741
Mobile : 9869650870