<p>Dismissing fears that consumption of betel nut was dangerous to health, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said that research is being carried out to ascertain its benefits.</p>.<p>Speaking at Vidhana Soudha, Jnanendra said statements made recently by a Lok Sabha MP seeking a ban on betel nut created panic among the farming community.</p>.<p>Jnanendra, who heads the Karnataka State Arecanut Task Force, said that such statements had an adverse impact on the price of the crop.</p>.<p>A delegation from the task force had met Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar following remarks made by the MP. The delegation submitted a petition urging the Centre not to issue any statement about betel nut until the Supreme Court gave a ruling.</p>.<p>The previous Congress government, Jnanendra said, had submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that betel nut was harmful to the body. “We are making efforts to withdraw the affidavit. Research is also going on in the state to prove that it is not harmful,” he said. “A study is being carried out at Ramaiah Institute of Medical Sciences about betel nut. The Central government, too, will form a task force to study the effects of the cash crop. We are expecting the study to come out with a clear conclusion,” he said.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>
<p>Dismissing fears that consumption of betel nut was dangerous to health, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said that research is being carried out to ascertain its benefits.</p>.<p>Speaking at Vidhana Soudha, Jnanendra said statements made recently by a Lok Sabha MP seeking a ban on betel nut created panic among the farming community.</p>.<p>Jnanendra, who heads the Karnataka State Arecanut Task Force, said that such statements had an adverse impact on the price of the crop.</p>.<p>A delegation from the task force had met Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar following remarks made by the MP. The delegation submitted a petition urging the Centre not to issue any statement about betel nut until the Supreme Court gave a ruling.</p>.<p>The previous Congress government, Jnanendra said, had submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that betel nut was harmful to the body. “We are making efforts to withdraw the affidavit. Research is also going on in the state to prove that it is not harmful,” he said. “A study is being carried out at Ramaiah Institute of Medical Sciences about betel nut. The Central government, too, will form a task force to study the effects of the cash crop. We are expecting the study to come out with a clear conclusion,” he said.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos</strong></p>
