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This special episode of 5ive Live covers major developments across environmental policy, business, public health, and state politics.
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching 5 Live. I'm Sonal Mayrothra Kapoor.
00:04Lots have been happening in Jammu and Kashmir, which we've got our eyes on.
00:07But before that, let me quickly tell you the focus of today's program, and it has to be pollution.
00:12It is a North India problem, not just Delhi's alone.
00:14Because if you look at the 25 of the most polluted cities in the world,
00:20you quickly get down to realizing that 24 of them are from India.
00:24In fact, Delhi is not even in the top 10.
00:28So what does that tell you?
00:30What is the pollution issue in the country that we've not understood really?
00:34We'll take you through that.
00:35Number two, the report that is still, you know, just getting out at the moment,
00:40and this is government data, remember, it talks about how crackers
00:44were the source of over 70% of the pollution that was caused post-Tiwali.
00:50More than 70% of the pollution came from crackers.
00:56And then there is a third story, also to do with pollution.
01:00But it tells you about the response India has to pollution versus how the world responds.
01:05We look at pollution levels in London.
01:08They are, the AQI is just hovering below 200, and the city is on alert.
01:15Here we are talking about 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, and life is going on as usual.
01:20So of course, we'll take you through and we'll cut across to London as well to understand
01:23what is it that they're doing right and what is it that we need to perhaps learn from them.
01:27And then, as always, at 5.30 at Election Express, we take the Express to UP now.
01:34They say all roads to power come from there.
01:36And that's why the war of words between our Khaleesi and OEC have already begun.
01:41There are some AI videos in the mix of it as well that features the Chief Minister,
01:46the Prime Minister, and a lot of others.
01:48So we'll take a look at all of that as well as we go into our program.
01:52But first off, as always, let me take you through a good reminder.
01:59All eyes are now on Prime Minister Modi on the India Today platform tomorrow at 8pm,
02:03exclusive on India's first ever farmer roundtable, the Bharat Agriculture Conference.
02:09The Prime Minister is going to be there and addressing the nation,
02:13specifically addressing the farmers as well.
02:16So stay tuned to that as we bring you all the details from that agriculture conference.
02:24All right, Delhi recorded its worst Diwali Day air quality in five years,
02:28with the average AQI touching 3.76 on November 8th.
02:33Remember, this is average.
02:35The situation remained grim the following morning as well,
02:38and as the National Capital continued to battle toxic air.
02:41But what pushed pollution levels so high?
02:43The theory had been that crackers cause it.
02:47Now, there is data.
02:50Data on what was the biggest contributor.
02:53There has been a political debate over the role of firecrackers,
02:56stubble burning as well, other sources of pollution as well.
02:58And now an assessment by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
03:02has pointed to firecrackers as the biggest contributor
03:07during the early hours after Diwali.
03:09According to IITM, the assessment that they've made,
03:12firecrackers accounted to more than 80% of Delhi's estimated pollution load
03:17on the morning of November 9th.
03:19A separate assessment found that firecrackers contributed
03:22to about 71.1% of only PM 2.5 between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. that day.
03:30Their contribution remained significant the next morning as well
03:33at 29.9% during the same hours on November 9th.
03:37And then on November 10th as well.
03:40Now, in comparison, secondary organic compounds
03:44accounted to about 5.8% of the estimated pollution load
03:48by the vehicular pollutions and the emissions that came out,
03:514.4% in the assessment that was done on the 9th of November.
03:59But all of this tells you what?
04:02A, we all know how there was an absolute violation
04:06of the court order on green crackers
04:08and absolute violation on the hours
04:11that were given out by the Supreme Court as well.
04:14But the controversy over firecrackers still rages on.
04:17And now there are some who are talking about how important it is
04:21the Chamber of Trade and Industry has questioned the focus
04:24on firecrackers over pollution.
04:27They say Delhi's pollution levels were already high before Diwali
04:30with the AQI between 350 to 400
04:32and from 5th to the 7th of November
04:36even before the firecrackers had actually begun.
04:38Statistically, they are right.
04:40Well, the trade body also then argues
04:42that stubble burning and other sources
04:44must also be addressed
04:46and that firecrackers should not be held solely responsible
04:50for the city's pollution.
04:51Also correct, but incomplete.
04:55What they tell you is about how others are contributing.
04:59Yes, but what is a significant contribution
05:01that spikes your AQI
05:04that makes this air poisonous to inhale?
05:09Well, now the government data from IITM says
05:1280% firecrackers.
05:23That's right.
05:26That's right.
05:50All right, clearly not very informed Mr. Brijesh Koyal over there because there are lots of factors
05:56that contribute to air pollution, the air quality at the moment, the wind speed at the moment,
06:02the temperature with which the moisture in the air, all of these are factors that make it very
06:10difficult for us to pinpoint on what exactly led to it. But for the first time now, we actually have
06:15data that talks about how firecrackers did contribute. However, he's not debating how there
06:22was a massive violation of the court orders when it came to green crackers and also when it comes to
06:28really the timing when the entire, you know, as you see in that video also over there till around
06:3511.30 at night and much later, some till about 2 a.m., firecrackers could be heard not just in
06:40Delhi
06:40but across the country. But we keep talking about air pollution in Delhi constantly which should not
06:46be the case because air pollution today has become far more than just a Delhi problem. It has become
06:51an India problem. It has become, at the least, a North India problem entirely and we'll take you
06:58through why that's the case in a moment from now as well while we wait for our, you know, colleague
07:03Amit Bharadwaj to bring us a live report from there. But Amit Bharadwaj, in fact, now joins us for more
07:09details on the story. Amit, you hear what the, you know, people on ground from Traders Association, et cetera,
07:19saying that AQI perhaps, you know, firecrackers are not the only reason why AQI did spike. But this is the
07:26first time when we actually have data that proves it otherwise. And this is the government data which is saying
07:32that firecrackers contributed between 70 to 80 percent of the air actually going bad. The question, you know,
07:39that follows should be, by that logic, now that firecrackers are considerably low, the, you know,
07:45AQI should have become better. Is that how the graph is going?
07:52Sonal, you know, every day from season to season, especially when you have the winters coming in for
07:57the national capital region and that includes Delhi and adjoining areas as well, you will have different
08:03contributors spiking the air pollution in the national capital. Recently, we heard as to how
08:09how the vehicular pollution was made the villain in the court as well. It was cited because there is number
08:15and data to show
08:16that fact as well. During Diwali, however, the data is there, which is the IITM-backed data, which comes under
08:25the
08:25Ministry of Earth Sciences on 9th November. I have the documents as well. 71 percent of the, you know, contribution
08:34on that day,
08:359th November, that is the night right after Diwali, that entire day, 71 percent contribution was due
08:42of the firecrackers. On 8th November, 43 percent contribution was of crackers. On, if we go by 10th November as
08:52well, 29 percent of the contribution
08:54is of the crackers. And in fact, very interestingly, on 7th November, this data is 5 percent because that is
09:02a day before Diwali.
09:04And on Dhanteras, this data was around 9 percent. So, firecrackers did become the villain this time around as far
09:10as the immediate spike
09:11around the Diwali festivities are concerned. But yes, vehicular pollution is certainly something that agencies from different states, from central
09:20government,
09:20from Delhi government and other adjoining, you know, NCR states will have to think upon as to how to deal
09:26with that problem as well. Back to you.
09:31Amit, then I'm just trying to, you know, get the whole picture in place. So, we are looking at factors
09:37that led to the spike
09:38immediately after Diwali, where we saw some meters in areas go up to 3,000, etc. Not the government, you
09:45know, meters, because they only have
09:47capacity to go until 999. They can't go beyond that. That's why we rely on other, you know, AQI.com
09:54and other, you know,
09:55places as well and other .com's, you know, websites as well to sort of see that data. And then there
10:00is data that,
10:02you know, relies throughout the year. There is no doubt, in fact, if I can say that and just confirm
10:08that for me as well,
10:09that throughout the year, the largest contractor actually is vehicles, largely two-wheeler vehicles.
10:15That's about, you know, 70, 60 to 70 percent of the air pollution, baseline pollution that we have,
10:21specifically to Diwali, because the firecrackers blow up so much, it beats that. It beats that
10:27completely. It beats the vehicles which are out on the road because of shopping. It beats all of it.
10:31That's the contribution that only and only firecrackers are making. And, you know, confirm that to me.
10:38And second, I want to ask you, this spike that you see, does the data from IITM talk at all
10:45about
10:45whether this can be caused by green crackers or the regular crackers?
10:51Well, the IITM metrics we do have with us, what all are counted for. Firecrackers, vehicles,
10:58domestic solid biofuel, secondary inorganic pollutants, secondary organic pollutants,
11:05wood burning, waste burning, crop residue, industrial, as well as road and dust soil pollution.
11:12So, there are different metrics or pollutant metrics which are counted by IITM for this entire
11:19composition of what is causing air pollution in the national capital. For instance, on 8th of
11:24November that we were speaking of, firecrackers contributed to 43.4 percent in Delhi's overall,
11:31you know, AQI or pollution for that day. Vehicles contributed to 14.1 percent.
11:37And if you go next is biofuel burning for the day. So, could be the different kind of rituals or
11:45something somebody might have set some garbage a lot on fire because we do see a lot of such
11:51things happening around during festivities as well. Wood burning, 5.4 percent. So, there are
11:56different kind of contributions and farm fires are also counted for. So, you have to go for different
12:01data metric for that as to how much of its contribution of the farm fires happening in
12:06Punjab, Haryana. That impact is, you know, leading to this spike in air pollution in the national
12:11capital. For instance, if I may go by this crop residue burning, this is the farm fire. 3.6 percent
12:20on 8th of November. That is the IITM data breakup that we have. And yes, there is a larger, you
12:28know,
12:28problem at play as well. Vehicular pollution that we have been, I mean, if you look at the
12:34erstwhile Amadmi Party government, they were focused on vehicular pollution issue. The problem,
12:39the solution point was possibly EV vehicle transition that was thought by the proposed
12:45by several agencies as well. And many of the states have started working on it. Now, the bigger
12:50question back then was that Delhi was making efforts, whether the NCR cities were making similar
12:56efforts or not. That was a big question. The Delhi government right now, led by the Bharata
13:01Jinta Party is pretty much focused on the EV vehicle transition, not only in the public
13:06transport sector, but also in the private sector. And that is why incentives are also being given.
13:12But again, the question is, is it only Delhi problem or a North India ASAT problem? If we
13:18agree to that point of North India ASAT problem, then the solution is possibly on...
13:24You know, possibly these measures are not being taken as seriously as it should have been. Back to you.
13:31So, is your assessment, Amit, that while this year we've seen progress in terms of long-term measures,
13:37progress in good policies like the EV policy, like the winter action plan, more proactive in nature,
13:43while we see that, while these long-term measures have been kicked in,
13:47the short-term measure to immediately stop the pollution and stop the spike from happening after
13:53Diwali, we saw the same thing happen during Dushara as well. That was not done. Is that the analysis then?
14:01Well, I believe, Sonal, you know, the authorities and different agencies will have to actually
14:07think upon it as to why this is happening. Because we saw right at the beginning of November,
14:12the air quality was not as bad as we have seen in the other, you know, once in the previous
14:19years.
14:20But right after the calendar moved from 1 to 2nd November, things started moving in the wrong
14:26direction. And then by 4th or 5th of November, you had a situation where several of the AQI stations
14:33in the National Capital were reporting severe category of AQI and heading towards 500 mark.
14:39That was alarm bells, you know, literally pressed in the National Capital, when you have almost
14:46one dozen, more than one dozen AQI stations actually pointing towards a race towards 500 mark.
14:53So, you know, the problem with Delhi is that if Delhi is lonely, trying to solve this problem,
15:00that it's not going to serve the purpose. You will have the NCR cities, Noida, Great Noida,
15:07Gurugram, Faridabad, Ballabgarh, all these areas. If you go by the numbers, even as we speak,
15:13if our viewers would want to check the data for all these, you know, NCR cities, there's a lot of
15:19problem.
15:19No, it's not just NCR, I miss for that matter. I was in Uttar Pradesh the entire time during
15:24Diwali as well. Kanpur and Lucknow were as bad, if not more. There, you know, the firecrackers were
15:29going well beyond the time as well, there as well. Nobody even had, you know, forget like talking
15:34about green crackers. They didn't even consider it. So this is an India problem is something we've
15:39been saying here on Five Live, here on India Today for the past several years now, and that's
15:43something we really need to wake up to. But thanks so much for bringing us up to speed with all
15:46that
15:46perspective and all the data that IITM has now brought out. But remember, the pollution emergency
15:52is not just Delhi NCR story alone. It is a North India problem. And I'm going to show some images
15:58to you to convince you of how this is now become a pan-India problem as well. I want you
16:04to look at
16:05this data that we've pulled out from the NASA website. Now NASA is a website in which they capture
16:11some active fires that are seen everywhere and then the smoke that comes out of it as well. Now what
16:17you see on your screen at the moment, this image was captured on the 10th of November. It shows a
16:22thick blanket of hay spread across large parts of North India. A layer of grey can be seen
16:27covering the entire region, stretching from Punjab and Haryana across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh
16:31and towards the Himalayan foothills as well. You see that entire thick, you know, grey smog
16:37over there. Now this is the scale of pollution that has built over the North Indian plains and
16:42I'm constantly saying North Indian plains because it is not just Delhi. Let's move to the second
16:46picture now. Now in this picture, it shows you hundreds of red dots spread across the
16:54India-Pakistan border and these are parts of Punjab with us and then with Pakistan as well.
16:59Now these show fire hotspots detected by NASA satellites. A large number of these fires were
17:06concentrated in the agricultural area across Punjab on both sides of the border as well as
17:10in parts of Haryana. These fires are linked to crop residue burning season and smoke from such fires
17:16can travel with the wind as well and add to the pollution across the Northern Plains. Remember at
17:21the moment how the wind is blowing, it is bringing a lot more smog from a Pakistan side towards India
17:29as
17:29well and the impact of this wider pollution crisis is reflecting in the 25 most polluted cities.
17:36Let's come out of that picture and let's now take you through the next set of graphics that I have
17:41for you because so far what you've seen is this image. You've seen this image of grey smog all over
17:49and now you see why that grey smog we constantly are saying that is an India problem not a Delhi
17:55problem because look at the top 25 most polluted cities in the world. Out of those 25 most polluted
18:04cities in the world 24 are from India right 25 most polluted cities in the world 24 are from India
18:13and on top of that list is not Delhi on top of that list is Rivadi in Haryana that tops
18:20the ranking with
18:20AQI of 436. Shri Ganga Nagar in Rajasthan now this is a curious story we haven't been able to figure
18:27out
18:27why in Rajasthan which is so windy constantly Shri Ganga Nagar keeps cropping up time and again in the
18:34list of top 25 we'll get down to that story we've asked for more data to really understand why that's
18:39the case as well and it's followed by Sirsa in Haryana where the AQI touched 420 then there is
18:45Bhatinda in Punjab then there is Hisar again in Haryana all five cities recorded hazardous air quality in fact if
18:53you look at
18:53the entire list and requesting our producers to put that up on the screen as well Delhi does not
18:58feature even in the top 12 can you believe that Delhi finally makes an entry at 16 Delhi is not
19:09the most polluted city on the planet Delhi is not even the top 10 it's not even not top 15
19:15it's the
19:1516th most polluted city the rest are all India but not Delhi look at the you know cities that follow
19:24there is Biwadi in Haryana at number six there is a Fareed Kote in Punjab there is Amrit sir and
19:31Guru
19:31Graham that are much above Delhi while Rotak also completes the top of 10 list at 340 Lahore in Pakistan
19:37is the only non-Indian city in the list of the top 25 it is followed by Aligarh in Uttar
19:42Pradesh
19:43332 Noida 315 Badayu at 314 Jalandhar in Punjab ranked 15th as well and Delhi is only the 16th on
19:52the list at
19:52309 followed by Hoshyarpur 308 Ludhiana 300 as well the remaining seven cities again it's Sonipat it is
20:01Ghaziabad it is Buland Sheher it is greater Noida Alwar in Rajasthan Baksar in Bihar Mathura in Uttar Pradesh all
20:09of
20:09them are in the top list so if anybody tells you that Delhi is polluted tell them to wake up
20:15and smell
20:17the air because it is all of North India in fact talking about India let me bring in a twist
20:29to the
20:30story over here and bring your perspective it is not just India that is dealing with pollution menace
20:34we've spoken about this several times biggest countries in the world from London to Beijing
20:38have had this issue cities across the world are battling deteriorating air quality but the
20:42difference lies in how authorities respond London for example laser pollution alert after PM 2.5 levels
20:53crossed 100 micrograms per cubic meter and the mayor of London Sadiq Khan you know urged residents to take
21:00precautions imagine that I'm saying that number again PM 2.5 in London crossed 100 and there is a panic
21:08in the
21:08system the mayor is talking to people asking them to ensure that you know their vehicles are down asking
21:14them to be very cautious about what they are burning all of that while Delhi you know the pollution numbers
21:21and
21:21what are we doing life is usual in London PM 2.5 levels touched 129 micrograms per cubic meter at
21:31one monitoring
21:31station in Hillington one monitoring station that is more than eight times the world organization the world health
21:38organization you know daily guidelines of 15 micrograms 11 monitoring stations recorded pollution in the highest
21:44category as well the mayor issued a high pollution alert on the 10th of November residents were advised to avoid
21:49unnecessary
21:50exposure switch off their car engines when waiting and avoid burning garden waste as well vulnerable
21:56people including those with existing health conditions were asked to take extra care now while you look at
22:02that figure and while you look at the response London had take a look at the Delhi equation at the
22:06moment
22:06PM 2.5 levels have remained alarmingly high on the night of Diwali the concentration was 3744 micrograms per cubic
22:17meter
22:18at one monitoring station that is more than 60 times the CPCB's 24 hour permissible limit right and yet the
22:27response
22:27largely follows a familiar pattern restrictions are announced or tightened after pollution levels have
22:33already you know searched emergency measures kick in but there is no prevention as at all now why does London
22:40issue a public alert at these levels why can't India learn anything from that approach and are India
22:48areas you know pollution control measures just too reactive just don't have enough teeth are we caught up
22:54between you know too many different systems who are trying you know hard to fight pollution but just not getting
23:00at it what's the problem let's get a London perspective joining us next is Alex Seal he's a journalist in
23:08London and
23:09joins me live now hi Alex thanks so much for being here for you know giving your perspective at this
23:15point we just put out a
23:16graphic to show the difference between the air in London versus the air in Delhi at the moment
23:21both alarming but the degree of alarm very very different so firstly I want to know what exactly is the
23:28condition at the moment in London and what kind of measures has the government imposed to fight this
23:34pollution yes well London has been experiencing some particularly concerning air pollution over the past few
23:42days following a combination of dense fog very light winds and fireworks celebrations and what happened was that the smoke
23:51from
23:53bonfire night which is celebrated here in Britain on the November the fifth as well as the Diwali fireworks and
24:01domestic wood burning became trapped close to the ground because there simply wasn't enough wind to disperse it now as
24:11you said London's
24:12mayor said he can issued a high air pollution alert for yesterday Tuesday following advice from scientists at Imperial College
24:22London and
24:23interestingly the BBC reports some that actual pollution levels were lower than initially expected although there had been a significant
24:35buildup
24:36a high air pollution issue in the British capital this year the previous one was during a heat wave in
24:52June and the authorities have been urging Londoners to use public transport and unnecessary car journeys and stop burning wood
25:02or garden waste and warnings have also been
25:05been sent sent to schools local councils while GPs and emergency departments have received additional information to help protect vulnerable
25:16patients and the weather has certainly been making matters worse because the Met Office the weather department says persistent high
25:25pressure light winds and weak November sunshine have allowed fog to linger for much longer than usual
25:34but there is some encouraging news forecasters expect increasing winds to help disperse the pollution and prevent further widespread fog
25:45so ultimately this has raised wider concerns about air quality in London particularly at this time of the year when
25:53fireworks bonfires and colder weather can combine to create potentially harmful conditions
26:00Yeah Alex two cities miles and oceans apart but same contributors firecrackers at the moment that seems to be spiking
26:09you know bad air quality in your city and also in mine but the response that we see is a
26:16little different in India if I could give you the reality people have gotten used to this being the pollution
26:21season people pack up their bags and go off to the hills because they say it's just unbearable for our
26:25kids especially for older people as well
26:27what's been the response like in London and now that the mayor is also speaking about it will it go
26:33beyond advisories and will there be more action as expected
26:36and will there be more action as expected we have a long history of London fighting pollution back in the
26:40day you know the president's secretary was moored down by a bus because of such poor visibility that's what got
26:48the attention of you know the prime minister to really
26:51Winston Churchill if I'm not wrong back then to take up the issue of air pollution head on so many
26:58years down the line what are you seeing as a response coming from from the you know higher authorities
27:05Yes well the main concern is the impact on public health particularly for children elderly people and those suffering from
27:13asthma and other respiratory conditions
27:16What makes this type of pollution particularly dangerous is the presence of very fine particles known as the PM 2
27:25.5 which can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream
27:31Now the authorities have been advising vulnerable people to limit as tenuous outdoor activities when pollution levels are high and
27:40what's particularly concerning is that this is already the fourth high pollution
27:46So it's not simply an isolated incident but a reminder of the continuing challenges facing the British capital when it
27:57comes to air quality I was out on the streets on Sunday and really the fog was really thick so
28:06it was very difficult for cars and people to wander about and there are some similarities between particularly when it
28:15comes to the weather conditions
28:16that trap pollution
28:18that trap pollution between London and Delhi because of course in India air pollution following Diwali celebrations has been a
28:28major concern for many years but I think it's important to distinguish between the two cities New Delhi experiences much
28:36more persistent and severe air pollution particularly during the winter months and here in London we're dealing with a shorter
28:44pollution episode
28:46made worse by fireworks, bonfires, domestic wood burning and stagnant weather conditions
28:54and the encouraging news is that conditions in London have already begun to improve as the weather changes but this
29:02episode does raise an important question about whether major cities are doing enough to protect the public health during periods
29:13of high pollution
29:15Yeah you're absolutely right
29:16Yeah you're absolutely right the sad part is that we wait for the weather to clear up and you know
29:19drive the pollution away that's the sad part depending on environment to clear up its own when the problem has
29:25been so man made and that's the trouble really that we are not in control we are hoping for the
29:29weather gods and the wind gods to come and breeze it out really which is really really worrying but thanks
29:34Alex for joining us with that perspective just trying to you know get a hang of it at 100 London
29:41is you know on alert at 3,000
29:44We are work as usual
29:52All right moving on now to other news at the moment Indian households will now have to shell out more
29:58for their daily kitchen essentials with Mother Dairy now becoming the latest company to hike its prices Mother Dairy has
30:04increased milk prices for Delhi NCR by 2 rupees to almost 4 rupees per liter which will be effective from
30:11the 12th of November
30:12Pouched toned milk will now cost 62 up from 60 rupees double toned milk has gone up from 54 to
30:1956
30:20While cow milk will now cost 65 against 62 earlier
30:23Full cream milk has seen the biggest increase from 72 to 76 per liter now
30:30This comes in the backdrop of two other daily giants increasing their prices as well
30:34Amul had increased prices for selected ghee and butter products earlier in November
30:39Its 1 kg ghee carton now cost 680 earlier it was 640 and the 500 gram butter stack has gone
30:47up from 310 now to 325
30:50In Karnataka meanwhile Nandini has raised milk prices as well of by 8 rupees per liter
30:56It has gone from 46 to 54
30:59Its 1 liter ghee packet is costlier by 135 rupees
31:03While the 500 gram unsalted butter pack has gone up by 105 rupees
31:10Paneer prices eventually because of milk prices going up are also climbing increased by 77 rupees per kilogram
31:18So the question really is when its happening all across in the north and also in the south
31:23What is driving these price increases?
31:27Now one major reason is the highest you know higher price daily is paying farmers for milk
31:34The cost of cattle feed and fodder has gone up and increased the cost of milk production
31:38There is also pressure on the supply of milk fat which is used to make ghee and butter at the
31:44same time
31:44A demand for these products has increased making them more expensive this festive season
31:56All right with that let's move on to the other big news that has come from the World Health Organization
32:01And this is for anybody who is on weight loss drugs
32:04Are you using GLP-1 or any kind of weight loss drugs?
32:08Well there is another warning you need to know about
32:10The US Food and Drug Administrator has now flagged a possible risk of a rare eye condition linked to these
32:18medicines
32:18It is called the eye stroke
32:20And in some cases it can lead to permanent loss of vision as well
32:25So what exactly is an eye stroke?
32:27Now it is a medical term, the medical name of this is N-A-I-O-N or as it's
32:33called by doctors as
32:34Non-Arteriatric Interior Optic Neuropathy
32:41In simple terms it happens when the blood supply in the optic nerve is reduced
32:46The optic nerve then carries signals from your eyes to your brains
32:49When it does not get enough blood and oxygen it can get damaged
32:52It can cause sudden vision loss usually in one eye
32:56And here's what makes it particularly worrying
32:58Because an eye stroke is usually painless
33:01A person may wake up with blurred vision, a dark patch or a missing part of their field of vision
33:08really
33:08And in some cases the damage is permanent
33:10There is currently no proven treatment that can reliably restore that lost vision
33:16It will be gone like that and you don't even know, it has no warning signs
33:20Now what is the specific advisory against weight loss drugs?
33:25Now the concern is around medicines like GLP-1 receptor agnos
33:30Now these drugs help control blood sugar, reduce appetite, make people feel full for longer
33:36This is why they are prescribed for type 2 diabetes and in some cases for weight management as well
33:41Some familiar names include Ozempic, Vigovi, Rebelsis which you know contains hemagglutide
33:47And other medicines in this group include Liragrutide and Dulagrutide as well
33:52Manjaro which is a trisopetite, acts on both GLP and another hormone called GIP
33:57Now the US FDA reviewed data from 126 clinical trials involving more than 1.34 lakh participants
34:08And it found that 10 probable cases of NAI-ON or an eye stroke amongst people
34:15Taking GLP-1 medicines compared with 5 in comparison groups
34:20Now the estimate rate was about 6.4% per lakh person-years amongst GLP-1 users
34:28Compared to 3.8 amongst those in comparison groups
34:30Now these numbers are small remember
34:33And the conditions I must also highlight remain rare
34:37But the FDA has identified a possible increase in risk
34:41And asked manufacturers to include that information about the eye stroke in their drug safety labels
34:48They need to mention it
34:49This does not mean remember that the medicines have been proven to cause eye strokes
34:54It means that regulators want doctors and patients to be more aware of possible links
34:58Run more tests
34:58Really know who these drugs really are for
35:01Not for somebody who wants to put in a jab to eat less at a party
35:04Or to look slim at a wedding or a vacation
35:08In fact, the European medicines agencies has already recognized the eye stroke or NAI-ON
35:13As a very rare side effect of semaglutide medicines in 2025
35:18It estimates that it could affect up to about 10,000 people taking semaglutide
35:22Now, let's get an India perspective on this
35:26Why does it matter to Indians and is there a separate data there?
35:28Remember the use of weight loss medicines has grown rapidly in India
35:32Manjaro was launched in India in the March of 2025
35:35And after the semaglutide patent expired in March of 2026
35:39Several companies have entered the market with very affordable versions of semaglutide as well
35:44India's anti-obesity drug market grew by 115% in 2025
35:50From just about 571 crore to over 1200 crore
35:55Genetic versions of semaglutide accounted for about 82% of the sales by volume by June of 2026
36:02We've had Manjaro being at the top of that list of the highest selling drug by price in the country
36:06For several months at a trot, refuses to die down even now
36:10But with more people now accessing these medicines
36:12Doctors are stressing on the importance of taking them only under medical supervision
36:19Extremely important
36:20So what should you watch out for?
36:22Any sudden painless blurring or loss of vision in one eye
36:26Even a small episode and it came back
36:28You must report it to your doctor
36:30You may notice a dark patch
36:32A missing area in your vision or difficulty seen clearly
36:35Do not ignore these
36:36Seek urgent medical attention
36:38And get your eyes examined
36:40And if you are already taking GLP
36:43Or GIP
36:44Should you stop? No, not really
36:46You should not do sudden stopping either
36:48You need to go see your doctor
36:50Do not stop a prescribed medication on your own
36:52Speak to your doctor about the risks and benefits
36:54Especially if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or a history of eye problems
36:59Now the takeaway from all of this
37:00And the reason why you are highlighting this constantly
37:03Is simple
37:04These medicines can offer important benefits to people with diabetes
37:08Or people trying to fight obesity
37:10But they are not risk free
37:12And they are not any shortcuts to weight loss
37:14Without any medical advice
37:16The FDA warning is not a reason to panic
37:19It is a reason to say
37:22That you have to stay informed
37:25Watch for the warning signs
37:27Know what you are having
37:28And importantly do it only responsibly
37:31Under a doctor's prescription
37:36All right
37:36All right
37:36The third front takes shape
37:37Ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections
37:39The AIMIM chief, Saudine OAC
37:42And the Lok Sabha MP, Chandrasekhar Azad
37:45Have formed a third front
37:46Ahead of the Assembly elections
37:48Tomorrow, Mr. OAC
37:49And Chandrasekhar Azad
37:51Will do a joint press conference
37:53To formally announce the alliance
37:55Now the new alliance in Uttar Pradesh will contest elections
37:58They are saying approximately 150 seats
38:01That's interesting
38:02Chandrasekhar Azad
38:03Seeing at the moment
38:05As a voice
38:06Which was going to capture the space of BSP
38:10OAC on the other hand
38:12Said to be forming a front on his own
38:14But now he seems to have gotten together with Ravan
38:17As he is popularly called
38:19And a joint press conference tomorrow
38:21To announce that alliance
38:22And also announce that they will be fighting on 150 seats
38:25Could be very interesting
38:27Samart Ravastava joining us from Lucknow for more on this
38:30Samart, we were speaking about this just last week
38:32On how a third front could emerge
38:34And which way the swing will be also interesting
38:37At the moment, Mr. OAC and Azad coming together
38:42Has it come as a surprise?
38:44How exactly are the other two parties
38:47SP and BJP reacting?
38:52As I told you, it's not a surprise
38:55It was all planned
38:56And we know that Chandrasekhar Ravan
38:58And Asadwin Ovesi
38:59Were in talks for months now
39:01Though it was also calculated risk
39:03Because they were also planning in a way
39:05To get some more smaller parties
39:07And they can also
39:08Because it's just the official announcement tomorrow
39:10In the form of the press conference in Lucknow
39:12At 12pm around
39:13Where Asadwin Ovesi and Chandrasekhar Ravan
39:15Will be sharing the stage
39:16And clearly they will also set a new name
39:18Of this particular alliance
39:20And also
39:21They may also announce the number of seats
39:23On which they will be contesting
39:24As per our sources
39:25It will be somewhere around 150 seats
39:27Where Asad Samajh party of Ravan
39:30And AIMIM obviously of Asadwin Ovesi
39:32Will be fighting the elections
39:33Now it's going to be worth seeing
39:35How this further goes on
39:36Because
39:37We have known that
39:38From day one
39:39AIMIM wanted an alliance
39:41With the Bahujan Samajh party
39:42But
39:43Talks did not happen
39:44But things did not go on that particular route
39:46So they have chosen a better person
39:48Or a better party
39:49In the form of Chandrasekhar Ravan
39:51Because what Chandrasekhar and Ravan
39:53Has showed
39:53In the previously concluded
39:55Lok Sabha elections
39:56Is that
39:57He has got that Dalit vote bank hold
39:59At least
40:00In those pockets
40:01Around the western Uttar Pradesh
40:02So that's why
40:03Asaddin Ovesi feels
40:05That if he comes along
40:06Then this MD
40:07That means
40:08Muslim Dalit vote bank
40:10Could make things difficult
40:11For the India
40:12India alliance
40:13And also for the BJPC
40:14The point is
40:15With this particular alliance
40:17For which
40:18Actually
40:19Which alliance
40:20Be it
40:20ND or India alliance
40:22For which it's a good news
40:23Or a bad news
40:24So one thing is very clear
40:25Ovesi has kept on targeting
40:26Akhilesh Shaita from day one
40:28He has entered Uttar Pradesh
40:29And now
40:30Akhilesh Shaita also
40:31Without naming Ovesi
40:32Has in a way
40:33Called him
40:35Siyasat Ka Sabse Bada Saudagar
40:36So that's what
40:37Akhilesh Shaita claims
40:38In a type of
40:39Shairi
40:40Which he posted on X
40:41So it's going to be worth seeing
40:43To which alliance
40:45Be it NDA
40:46Or India alliance
40:47This new third front
40:48Will hurt more
40:50Alright
40:50Let's see how that really goes in
40:52But this MD alliance
40:54As they say
40:55And it's all about arithmetic
40:56When it comes down
40:57To the state of Uttar Pradesh
40:58We'll see how this really progresses
40:59In the days
41:00And months ahead
41:01For the moment
41:02The big news is that
41:03A third front
41:04Is now officially
41:05In shape
41:07In Uttar Pradesh
41:09It is AIMIM
41:10Plus
41:11Shrikhar Azad's
41:12Azad Samaj Party
41:14I think
41:14In shape
41:14In this
41:14You
41:15In the space
41:15In the space
41:15In the space
41:15The
41:15It is a