Sendha namak, a type of rock salt consumed by Indians during the festival of Navratri. It is an essential part of a “Hindu kosher kitchen” and is believed to have cooling effects on the body.
But did you know India imports large quantities of this rock salt from Pakistan? As reported by GoNews, a salt mine in Khewra, Pakistan is the world’s second largest such mine. It produces a total of 3.25 lakh tonnes of this rock salt per annum, out of which approx 2.5 lakh tonnes is sold to chemical industries. As per their reports, India had imported 2,710 metric tonnes of sendha namak from Pakistan in 2015 alone.
The report further mentions that over the past six years (approximately), India has in fact, imported 87,000 tonnes of ‘sendha namak’ from Pakistan, which amounts to roughly Rs 22.7 crore!
According to GoNews’ research, rock salt from Pakistan initially arrived in India by train, but in the last five years it is delivered by trucks till the India-Pakistan border, from where it is picked up by relevant authorities.
While table salt is iodised, sendha namak is free from any chemical processing or environmental pollutants, an NDTV report states. “It is low in sodium and high in potassium, therefore helps keep a balance of electrolytes in the body without affecting the blood pressure levels,” the report reads.
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