Ahmedabad: Gujarat government on Sunday banned sale of aerated soft drinks including Pepsi and Coca Cola in all government-run schools and colleges in view of allegations of high level of pesticides in the drinks.
"We have decided to stop sale of Coke, Pepsi and other aerated soft drinks in all 400 government-run colleges, most of which are in the urban areas of the state," Gujarat education minister, Anandiben Patel, said.
"We have also intimated all government-run schools in the state about the ban," she said adding that the decision will come into effect from Monday.
Patel said the government schools operating in rural areas did not sell aerated drinks, however those functioning in cities have been asked to refrain from selling them.
Asked what had prompted the government to ban sale of the carbonated drinks in the state, she explained, "No institution has so far come up and claimed that the soft drinks do not contain harmful pesticides (as claimed by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)) and are safe for human consumption."
However, the minister said it was up to the individual private schools and colleges to stop these drinks from being sold in the canteens operating from their premises.
Gujarat University and all the 260-odd colleges affiliated with it had, on Saturday, banned these soft drinks in the college canteens.
All Gujarat Investor Protection Trust has been vehemently protesting sale of these drinks after CSE came out with findings about the presence of pesticides in the soft drinks.
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