Raipur: At a time when the entire world, including India, is waiting for the long-promised COVID-19 vaccine, Chhattisgarh Tribal Minister Kawasi Lakhma has made a controversial statement, where he said, “Red ant chutney heals coronavirus disease infection”. He has also asked central government agencies to carry out the relevant research on it.
Lakhma made the statement while addressing a seminar of doctors at Dharmapura Jagdalpur, Bastar, on Saturday.
He said that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak has now spread all over the world.
"Even people living in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, where health facilities are better, have been badly impacted by the COVID-19 infection. However, people in Bastar have been less infected by the virus," the Minister said.
"I travelled to Bastar and across the entire state even when the coronavirus infection was at peak, but I was not infected," he said, "I ate red ant chutney (Chapda) and was saved from the coronavirus infection."
The minister added that in Bastar, people eat chapda when they suffer from cold and fever. He urged the central government to carry out proper and relevant research on the medicinal qualities of the red ant chutney and the impact it can have on the coronavirus disease infection.
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