Though TNCSC Managing Director K. Gopal filed a counter affidavit stating that masoor dhal, being grown at present was safe, unharmful and highly beneficial to health, a Division Bench of Justices K.K. In his counter affidavit filed in reply to a public interest litigation petition, Mr. Gopal said the government had stopped procuring and supplying masoor dhal for noon meal programme in 2007 following a letter written to it by the then Karur Collector. Claiming that the toxins were due to presence of kesari dhal in masoor dhal since most of the farmers used kesari dhal as an intercrop while cultivating masoor dhal, the TNCSC MD said such intercropping had been banned now. He further said pure masoor dhal was a good source of cholesterol-lowering fibre and it had high protein nutritive value, besides being economical and having the ability to reduce chances of breast cancer. He had also urged the court to vacate the interim stay imposed by the court on July 10 on procuring masoor dhal for PDS, but the judges adjourned further hearing in the case till August 28.

Source: The Hindu July 26, 2017 16:52 UTC