Temple ‘prasadam’ must carry making, expiry dates: Minister

Trichy: Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) minister S Ramesh on Sunday issued orders directing officials to ensure that the ‘Prasadam’ being sold in temple stalls across the state carry a manufacturing, expiry date and strictly adhere to food safety regulations.Speaking to reporters after a surprise inspection at the Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari Temple in Thiruvanaikaval, Ramesh said he noticed that prasadam packets sold at temple stalls lacked mandatory details such as the date of manufacture and expiry date.During the visit, the minister also reviewed drinking water facilities and inspected stalls operating inside the temple premises. There, the minister rapped the temple officials after finding food items being sold without the required labelling information. “Such sales practices are impermissible. We have issued strict instructions that the date of manufacture and the expiry date must be clearly indicated on all packets,” he said.“A notice has been issued to the contractor for explanation on why there were no mandatory labels in the packets,” a HR&CE source told TOI.The minister added that the direction was sent to all temples under the HR&CE department across Tamil Nadu. Officials have been instructed to monitor compliance, and contractors violating the norms would face disciplinary action after being asked to furnish explanations.Ramesh also stressed the need to ensure clean drinking water facilities for devotees visiting temples. He instructed officials to maintain temple restrooms hygienically through rotational cleaning and directed that all such cleaning activities be recorded in maintenance logbooks.The minister said surprise inspections would be conducted at temples across the state to identify deficiencies and implement corrective measures promptly. Ramesh also offered fruits to elephant Akila, who is celebrating her 24^th birthday. Later, the minister visited the Malakottai temple and reviewed the ongoing work.