Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams To Use 5,000 Tonnes Of Ghee For Temple Prasadams
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TTD has also set up a sophisticated laboratory in Tirumala.
The TTD will carry out the ghee purchasing process after the decision of the board committee and the governing body of the Karnataka state government.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has recently announced that 5,000 tonnes of Nandini Ghee will be used to prepare the Tirumala laddus and other prasadams in temples under it. According to Local 18 Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah flagged off the tanker carrying Nandini ghee for the Srivari Temple at Tirumala. In all the prasadams prepared in the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, pure ghee is considered essential to make the food offerings luscious. In the Srivari Temple at Tirumala, ghee is constantly prepared in large kadhais for the preparation of enormous quantities of prasadam. As of now, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is purchasing the Nandini ghee through the marketing department. The notification for the ghee to be purchased for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has been issued online.
The TTD will carry out the ghee purchasing process after the decision of the board committee and the governing body. TTD has also set up a sophisticated laboratory in Tirumala to test the ghee without compromising its quality. It buys the ghee through e-procurement by inviting tenders every 6 months. To this date, tenders are called 2 times every year. Till March 2021, Nandini brand ghee of Karnataka Milk Federation was supplied to TTD. Karnataka Milk Federation, which stood as L-3 in the tenders held in March 2021, supplied only 20 per cent of the 20 lakh kg of ghee to TTD with the permission of L-1 and L-2. After that, the Karnataka Milk Federation did not participate in the tender process itself and decided that the TTD would have to supply ghee at a lower price.
This and many other allegations made things tougher for the KMF and TTD to work together. TTD Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy alleged that the Karnataka Milk Federation did not participate in the tender process for the procurement of ghee in March 2023. According to Reddy, TTD is a government organisation and it is not possible to buy ghee directly from anyone through the nomination method. However, now, the problems between the two organisations seem to be over for now. TTD has entered into a pact with the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), for the supply of Nandini ghee. In the process, the TTD has decided to purchase 350 metric tonnes of ghee for the current fiscal at the rate of Rs 470 per kilogram.
