Salty panic in Uttara Pradesh, Delhi

Salty panic in Uttara Pradesh,  Delhi

Lucknow/ New Delhi: Panicked people thronged shops as salt shortage rumours spread across parts of Uttar Pradesh  and  Delhi on Friday, 11^th November 2016 night.

However authorities in UP as well as Delhi dismissed the rumors and said there is no shortage of salt.

In Moradabad, there were reports of panicked customers flocking to market as rumours flew thick and fast that salt has gone out of shelves and shopkeepers are selling at a premium. Circle Officer Kotwali area Poonam Mishra said police has been sent to Katra Naj from where reports of black marketing had emanated.

She said complaints will be filed against some shopkeepers for allegedly triggering the rumours of salt getting in shortage and charging premium for providing essential commodities. In the Makbara market and Karbula market also people thronged the area to purchase salt because of rumours of shortage and black marketing. Circle officer Vijay Pratap Yadav sent force to get the shops closed as people had lined up to stock essential commodities.

Police sources said shopkeepers were unable to offer change for higher denomination notes so when people came to purchase commodities like salt they offered to sell it without returning the change. For example, some shopkeepers asked for Rs 500 for three kilogrammes of salt as they did not have change. This triggered panic that shopkeepers are black marketing essential commodities because of shortage. ADM City Arun Kumar Srivastava said they will depute magistrates and police to check any attempt to black market essential commodities.

Even in Delhi, there were reports of salt being sold at a premium but they could not be confirmed independently.  However CM Aravinda Kejriwal denied  the shortage of salt in capital.

Glass of Water+2 Spoons of Salt= 8 Hours of Light

Glass of Water +2 Spoons of 

    Salt= 8 Hours of Light

Manila: A new cost effective lamp that burns for eight hours at a time, running on nothing but a glass of water and two tablespoons of salt has been developed by a start-up in the Philippines.

The Sustainable Alternative Lighting or SALt lamp will also be able to generate enough energy to charge a smartphone through a USB cable, while also lighting up the room.

The lamp works with a galvanic cell battery, which consists of an electrolyte solution - the salt and water - and two electrodes.

When the electrodes are placed in the electrolyte, the energy generated kicks an LED light into gear.

The battery will work for eight hours a day for six months, which is a considerable upgrade from the constant refills required by paraffin lantern, the developers said.

"Use the ocean-water to power up your lamp and it will give you eight hours of running-time," the SALt team said on its website.

 The team say the lamp is safe as there are no materials and components inside the lamp that may cause fire accidents.

 It hopes to get the lamp on the market by 2016.

"There are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines and most of these islands do not have access to electricity. We want to eliminate the sustaining cost in areas that rely on kerosene/battery powered lamps and candles as their main source of lighting," the SALt team said.

"And to provide a more efficient light source for people who use lamps and candles as an alternative source of lighting," it said.