Toxic Liquor Kills 29 In India’s Gujarat State

Published

1 year ago

July 26, 2022

The police say 29 people died after consuming toxic liquor in India’s western state of Gujarat.

The victims were mostly villagers from the Botad district, officials at the police control room said.

Preliminary laboratory tests indicated that chemicals including methanol were present in the liquor mix, regional police official Ashok Kumar Yadav said.

Three people have been arrested so far and investigations are underway.

A large amount of suspected spurious alcohol has been seized in raids.

The tragedy first came to light when villagers who consumed the liquor on Sunday night were admitted into hospitals in the area early on Monday.

There were at least 30 people in serious conditions being treated, NDTV news channel reported.

Manufacture, consumption and sale of alcohol are banned in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

There are some government-authorized liquor shops from where residents with special health permits and foreigners can buy alcohol.

This is the second major incident where spurious liquor has caused a large number of deaths in the past year.

No fewer than 30 people died in the eastern state of Bihar in November.

In Bihar, there was also an alcohol ban, which some critics said encouraged the peddling of illegal and often tainted alcohol that was brewed without any regulation.

The illegal liquor trade thrives in India because it is much cheaper than commercially produced alcohol.

Hundreds of people, mostly the poor, die every year after consuming such toxic alcohol.

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Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry Commends Tinubu, Says TAC Scheme, Remains the Best

Published

2 weeks ago

November 14, 2023

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation has lauded President Bola Tinubu on the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme, describing it as a noble and truest platform for the promotion of Pan-Africanism.

This is in a statement issued by Mr Nkem Anyata-Lafia, the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Dr Yusuf Yakub, the Director-General (DG) of the Technical Aid Corps in Africa (DTAC).

It will be recalled that the DTAC boss and some senior staff embarked on a four-day Administrative, Monitoring, and Evaluation exercise in four countries in East Africa.

Also, the team will monitor the TAC volunteers in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Seychelles.

Anyata-Lafia said that the Minister of State, Mr James Kabarebe, said this in Kigali when the ministry received the delegation of DTAC led by Dr. Yakub.

He also commended Tinubu’s administration for the big brother approach.

Anyata-Lafia also extolled Tinubu’s gesture for continuing to advance the course of development through technology transfer, skills acquisition, and scholarship for African people.

Kabarebe said that, although Nigeria, like other nations of the world, had its own challenges, its commitment to the leadership and development of Africa and some parts of the globe through soft-power diplomacy remained laudable and worthy of emulation.

He said that Nigeria has continued to use its huge population, size, and early advancement in matters of education to benefit all parts of Africa.

The minister reminicenced the positive inspiration projected by writers such as, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Cyprian Ekwensi, among many others.

Kabarebe said, “These were not only an instrument of soft power that sold Nigeria to the world, but was all that Nigeria needed to stamp its authority as a global super player in world affairs.

Furthermore, he highlighted the huge gap between other African countries and their goals, adding that TAC deserves Africa’s support.

The minister promised that the ministry would leverage the existing cordial relations between Rwanda and Nigeria to strengthen their cooperation through the scheme.

Speaking earlier, Yakub said that the delegation was in Rwanda to monitor, evaluate and as well to review the activities of the TAC volunteer scheme in its recipient countries and among the volunteers.

He added that the visit was also aimed at allowing him to meet and familiarise with State officials and other stakeholders in the TAC scheme across parts of Africa after being appointed to head the agency by Tinubu.

The DTAC delegation also met with the Minister of State for Education, Ms Claudette Irere, Nigeria’s High Commissioner of Nigeria in Kigali, Amb. Suleiman Sani and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Finance), University of Rwanda, Ms Francoise Kayitore.

They also visited the remaining volunteer of the TAC scheme at the University of Rwanda, Dr Nasiru Sani, a Health Information and Community Medicine expert, among others.

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