the Union government has recently lifted the ban on the use of non-iodised salt. According to medical scientists, this will lead to a "national disaster'. Health ministers of various states, during a recent meeting had agreed with the medical scientists and opined that the ban should continue. But, some people, lead by Gandhian and Swadeshi activists, had met prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and argued that the ban on non-iodised salt was destroying the domestic salt industry, particularly the small-scale sector. They further stated that the decision to consume iodised or non-iodised salt should be left on the general public.