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Tirupati Laddus row: Karnataka Milk Federation installs GPS to track ghee supply to TTD
The dairy cooperative, Karnataka Milk Federation, resumed supplying Nandini Ghee to TTD a month ago after being awarded the tender by the temple trust.
The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has implemented a ‘geo-positioning system (GPS)’ on vehicles supplying ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), following allegations of usage of "animal fat" in the preparation of laddus used as prasadam at the temple, according to a PTI report on Saturday citing an official.
M K Jagadish, KMF's managing director, mentioned that the dairy cooperative resumed supplying Nandini Ghee a month ago after being awarded the tender by the temple trust.
“We restored the supply of ghee (to TTD) a month ago. We have installed the GPS system and Geo Location Devices on the vehicles so that we can find out where they stop. This is to ensure that no where adulteration happens,” Jagadish told PTI.
Nandini is a well-known brand from the Karnataka Milk Federation. According to M K Jagadish, KMF secured the contract to supply 350 tonnes of ghee. "We will supply ghee as and when required," he added.
This controversy arose after Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in making the Tirupati laddus, a sweet offered at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, during the previous YSRCP government
The TTD reported on Friday, citing a lab report, that there were traces of ‘beef tallow, lard (pig fat)’ and other impurities in the ghee. TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao said the board was working on blacklisting the contractor who supplied the ‘adulterated’ ghee.
Latest developments on Tirupati Laddu row
- Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan accused the previous government of altering the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board for political gain. This statement followed Chandrababu Naidu's allegation that the YSRCP government used animal fat in the Laddu Prasadam offered at the Tirumala Temple.
- Pawan Kalyan also began an 11-day 'Prayaschitta Diksha' (penance ritual) at Sri Dasavatara Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Guntur as a form of penance in response to the controversy.
- Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu announced plans to consult pontiffs, sages, priests, and Hindu experts to decide the future course of action after allegations of animal fat adulteration in Tirupati laddus.
- Naidu criticised YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for dismissing the animal fat claims and the NDDB lab report on the ghee used in laddus, questioning how cow ghee could be purchased for ₹320 per kg. He also raised concerns about YSRCP's reverse tendering policies related to laddu production.
- After forming a new government, CM Naidu ordered the TTD executive officer to improve the quality of laddus by blacklisting certain suppliers and taking steps to sanitise Tirumala.
- YS Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing CM Naidu of trying to tarnish the reputation of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams with the laddu adulteration allegations.
- Surjit Singh Yadav, President of the Hindu Sena Samiti, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court, requesting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the animal fat allegations in the Tirupati prasadam.
