Tirupati laddu row: In the wake of Tirupati Laddu adulteration allegations, the Food Safety and Drug Administration department collected 43 samples of food items from 15 shops near religious sites in Mathura and Vrindavan and other places.
Out of the collected food items, a sample of a 'peda' (a type of sweet) has been sent for testing to the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Lucknow on the suspicion of use of adulterated material.
FSDA Assistant Commissioner Dhirendra Pratap Singh said that during the sampling campaign conducted in Mathura and Vrindavan on Monday, a total of 43 samples were collected from 15 vendors. These samples include sweets and other items made from milk, paneer, peda, barfi, milk cake, rasgulla, imarti, sonpapdi, other sweets and spices.
He said 42 of them were found to be within the standard but one sample of 'peda' was sent to Lucknow for testing. Singh said all the samples were collected on Sunday and Monday from the shops around the temples.
Mankameshwar Temple in Lucknow bans market-bought offerings
Following the controversy surrounding the alleged adulteration in prasad, the renowned Mankameshwar Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow has taken a decisive step by banning market-bought offerings (prasad). Mahant Divyagiri issued an official notification requesting that devotees bring only homemade offerings or dry fruits for rituals inside the temple's sanctum sanctorum. As per the notification, devotees are now required to bring homemade offerings or dry fruits for rituals inside the temple's sanctum sanctorum.
According to the temple authorities, this decision was taken to ensure purity and sanctity in the offerings presented to the deity. "From now on, only prasad made in devotees' homes or dry fruits will be accepted as offerings in the temple. Market-bought sweets and other processed items are no longer permitted for rituals," the notification said.
Tirupati Balaji Temple's laddu row
The issue came to light after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on September 18 claimed that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus, a sweet offered at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government.
The Chief Minister subsequently announced the formation of the SIT to probe into the alleged incident in which the famous 'prasadam' contained "animal fat".
However, former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy refuted the allegation, saying that no violation took place under his government. The former Chief Minister also accused Naidu of doing "politics in the name of God".
(PTI inputs)
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