BHOG certificate obtained for 523 temples, says Sekarbabu

CHENNAI: Minister for HR&CE PK Sekarbabu on Sunday said the department had obtained BHOG certification to ensure the quality of Annadhanam (free-meal) and prasadam to devotees in 523 temples across the state.

The department has obtained Blissful Hygienic Offering to God (BHOG) certificate, which was issued by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, to as many as 523 temples in the state. Tamil Nadu is the leading state to obtain BHOG certificate, said the Minister after inaugurating the full-day prasadam scheme at Arulmigu Parthasarathy Swamy Temple in Triplicane.

Full-day prasadam scheme extended

Similar, programmes were launched in Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai, Arulmigu Kallalagar Temple in Madurai, Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram and Arulmigu Subramanya Swamy Temple in Tiruparankundram.

“DMK’s Dravidian Model government is the only government in the Indian subcontinent that understands the needs of the devotees and fulfills them. This government, today, launched a scheme to distribute prasadam throughout five temples, taking the total number of temples covered under the scheme to 20,” said the Minister after launching the scheme at Arulmigu Parthasarathy Swamy Temple.

The government has allocated Rs 25 crore for the scheme; he said and added the government has also extended the full-day Annadhanam scheme to six temples in addition to two temples where the scheme was already in place. The CM would soon launch the scheme in three more temples.

“Around 92,000 devotees are benefitting under the scheme daily and the government and the scheme has been implemented at a cost of Rs 100 crore,” he said.

On damages caused to temples by cyclonic storm Michaung in northern districts and torrential rains in southern districts, the Minister said that the department would commence and complete the repair and renovation works of the temples, which sustained damage in the natural calamity, in the month of January.