Government Says To Eat Rats

There is some bizarre news coming out of India today. All coming from a few recommendations that the government in the Indian state of Bihar have made. The government of Bihar has suggested that it's people start to make rats part of their regular diet.

Bihar is arguably India's poorest state. They have recently been suffering from a major food crisis. A huge part of this food crisis happening because of rats. These rats have reportedly been eating over 50 percent of the Indian state's rice and grain stocks, leaving many people going hungry all over the state.

The authorities in Bihar are asking that both the rich and poor people of their state begin eating rats to help combat the food crisis the rats are causing. Eating the rats is also supposed to 'fill the stomachs of the country' and lessen the dependence on grain and rice as food sources. If the shceme goes as the officials are planning it could make economic sense.

"Eating of rats will serve twin purposes, it will save grains from being eaten away by rats and will simultaneously increase our grain stocks", says Vijay Prakash, and official from Bihar state's welfare department.

It is unknown if the rats may cause disease outbreak if the population of Bihar does begin eating them regularly. A few already existing groups in Bihar do eat rats such as Mushars, a group of lower caste Hindus, and they claim to not get many resulting diseases from it. Other poor members of society in Bihar also eat the rats and exhibit few bad symptoms.

"We are very serious to implement this project since the food crisis is turning more serious day by day", Jitan Ram Manjhi, Bihar's caste and tribe welfare minister had to say. Manjha also says that the rat meat is a healthy meat alternative to the rice and grain.

In any case the program is going to be very seriously implemented soon anyways. Hopefully the project will help the Bihar economy and also help people in the state not go as hungry.