Bhog scheme to be rolled out in five Shimla temples

Bhandara will be prepared in the temples of the district as per the BHOG scheme being run through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and only after that it will be served to the devotees

The government has decided to implement BHOG (Blessed Hygienic Offering to God) scheme in five temples of Shimla district, including Tara Devi, Sankat Mochan, Jakhu, Hatkoti and Bhimakali Temple Sarahan.

Bhog certificate is given to religious places by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Its main objective is to ensure hygiene, safety and quality of prasad or food being served to devotees. (HT Representative)

This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by deputy commissioner Anupam Kashyap on Tuesday.

Bhandara will be prepared in the temples of the district as per the BHOG scheme being run through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and only after that it will be served to the devotees.

Bhog certificate is given to religious places by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Its main objective is to ensure hygiene, safety and quality of prasad or food being served to devotees.

Under this scheme, registration and license of the temple management will be made mandatory for preparing bhandara and its distribution.

The DC has directed all the temple officials to complete the formalities within a week. The DC said that providing quality bhandara to the devotees is the priority of the trust. In future, it will be prepared as per the standards set by the FSSAI.

The login of CCTV cameras installed in all the three temple premises of Shimla city will now be in DC office Shimla. The DC will himself monitor all the three temples.

Identification and Registration

Nodal officers are nominated by the Food Safety Department of the State/UTs, who identify the religious places. The identified religious places have to get license/registration under the FSSAI Act, 2006. This process is done through the online portal of FSSAI. The religious place is inspected by a third party agency (auditing agency) recognised by FSSAI. This inspection evaluates food safety and hygiene standards, including kitchen hygiene, storage, quality of raw materials, water arrangements, waste management training etc.

The food handlers (employees) engaged in preparing and serving bhog at the religious place are trained under Food Safety Training and Certification (FOSTAC) by a training partner recognised by FSSAI.

Food businesses having turnover of more than ₹12 lakh per annum are required to obtain a licence as per the procedure prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations 2011. All the safety, hygiene and sanitation requirements as per the terms and conditions of the licence must be complied with at all times.