India's western state of Gujarat has banned the sale of soft drinks such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola in government schools after environmentalists charged thet had high pesticide levels, a report said Sunday.
"We have decided to stop sale of Coke, Pepsi and other soft drinks in all 400 government-run colleges, most of which are in the urban areas of the state," Gujarat Education Minister Anandiben Patel told the Press Trust of India news agency.
She said all government-run schools had also been notified about the ban.
The decision will come into effect from Monday, Patel said, adding that private schools would set their own policies.
A report by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment last week said tests it conducted on 57 samples of 11 soft drinks produced by US beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo showed high pesticide levels.
The report was a follow-up to its findings three years ago, that 12 of the companies' soft drinks had such high pesticide levels they could lead to cancer.
Coca-Cola and Pepsico said in statements Friday that the drinks were safe.
Last week, India's northern Rajasthan state also banned Coke and Pepsi in all state schools and the legislative assembly of neighbouring Punjab state removed the soft drinks from its in-house dining menu.
India's Supreme Court last week gave the two firms six weeks to reveal the ingredients of their products. Some legislators in the federal parliament have called for a ban on sales of soft drinks.
