Mamata rubbishes rumours on Tilapia fish causing cancer

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday dismissed rumours that consuming the Tilapia fish causes cancer and urged people to eat it without fear.

"Does eating Tilapia fish have any negative impact on the body?" Banerjee asked bureaucrats during a meeting at the state secretariat.

Upon receiving confirmation from officials that there was no evidence supporting the rumour, she questioned why action had not been taken against those responsible for spreading such misinformation.

"Eat Tilapia without fear. Consuming this fish does not cause cancer. Who spread this false news? Why no action has been taken against them?" the CM said.

She also instructed bureaucrats to release Tilapia fish into ponds under the ‘Jal Bharo, Jal Dharo’ scheme.