Top 10 Colleges
Of India
As admission time approaches, students face the dilemma of making a choice from among the 10,000-odd colleges. INDIA TODAY-Gallup's fifth survey ranks the centres of excellence on key factors. The best in Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, Medicine and Engineering.

Foreign Policy Privatised
Leaked letters in London imply that Brajesh Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, trusted the Hindujas more than the Indian High Commission. The brothers even negotiated with Prime Minister Tony Blair on CTBT.

The Heat Is On
The Raja of Bihar is in trouble again. The CBI has filed yet another chargesheet against him in the multi-crore fodder scam, this time in Jharkhand. A non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him has Laloo in a panic.

Fuzzy Logic
Key nations, including India, are briefed by aides of Bush on the new nuclear doctrine he proposes, but find that there are more questions than answers.

Consumed By Hunger
Maharashtra has a surfeit of foodgrain. Yet, over 500 infants have died in Nandurbar district since January this year of malnutrition and related complications.

HEALTH WATCH: IMPORTED PACKED FOODS

Too Many Laws

Truth be told, Indian food laws are in a mess: too many, some too strict, some too lenient. PFA Rules on pesticide residues, for one, recommend that food be tested for just over 70 pesticides; the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a FAO/who body which is internationally accepted as a benchmark, prescribes testing for 197 pesticides. Quizzed about the gap, the Department of FPI's Tripathi responds lamely: "Merely following the US or Europe may not be possible for us. We have to consider the conditions prevailing in a developing country like ours."

Then there is the matter of the contradictions between Indian guidelines: the permitted lead content in tea under the PFA Act is 10 parts per million (PPM); while under a 1991 notification of the then Ministry of Environment, Forests and Wildlife regarding a scheme for labelling environment-friendly products with the EcoMark, only 6.5 PPM of lead has been permitted in tea since 1994. "Industry just loves this kind of a situation," says Pritee Shah of the Consumer Education and Research Centre in Ahmedabad. "And why just focus on imported products? A large number of domestic manufacturers are also routinely short-changing the consumer." That, as they say, is another story. Until then, before you sink your canines into those hot dogs from Holland, or dip those chips into that smooth red sauce from Egypt, there's plenty to chew on.

UNSAVOURY MESS:The survey randomly picked up 457 imported packed food products from 50 shops in and around Delhi	LIPTON ICE TEA, SINGAPORE: Manufacturer's name and address not given; no separate declaration about use of flavour.

UNKNOWN: Label only in a foreign language with no translation given in English as required.			ARMADA HERINGSFILETS, DEUTSCHLAND (AS PER LABEL): Contains aroma which requires a separate declaration, not given.

	SUPERCOOK MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS, UK: Manufacturer, importer not named; no date of manufacture; separate declaration about flavour missing.
NORTHLAND JUICE, WEST INDIES: No batch number, date of production, best before date. No separate declaration about use of natural flavour.		LYLE'S GOLDEN SYRUP, ENGLAND: No information about the ingredients, date of manufacture and best before date.

	BROKEN RULES Of the products surveyed:
"Most consumers in India don't bother to check labels for things like expiry dates." Bejon Misra, Author, Voice study	# 81% violated Rule 32 of PFA Rules which makes it mandatory to carry a detailed description of the food on label; # 22% were found adulterated due to the use of non-permitted colours/flavours and vegetable fats and failing to give a separate declaration on the packs to this effect; # 25%-no expiry/best before date; # 55%-no batch/lot number; # 76%-no name and address of importer; # 61%-no separate declaration about added colour or flavour.
"There is no dearth of rules, but there is a gap between the rules and the implementation." D.P. Tripathi, Secretary, Dept of FPI

MetroScape

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Looking Glass

Delhi Concert:
"United for Gujarat"

Mumbai Ceramics:
Zareen Mistry

Mumbai Club Music:
Melting Pot